Meaning & use
intriguing
Last updated
UK/ɪnˈtriː.ɡɪŋ/
US/ɪnˈtriː.ɡɪŋ/
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Interesting in a way that makes you curious and want to know more.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: an intriguing idea; the idea is intriguing.
Patterns
- intriguing idea
- find something intriguing
The detective found the missing key an intriguing detail.
She made an intriguing offer I could not refuse.
The book opens with an intriguing mystery.
Word forms
| comparative | more intriguing |
|---|---|
| superlative | most intriguing |
Common combinations
- intriguing possibility
- The plan raises an intriguing possibility.
- intriguing idea
- That is an intriguing idea.
- find it intriguing
- I find it intriguing that he left.
- strangely intriguing
- The film is strangely intriguing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fascinating
- Fascinating is stronger and suggests holding your full attention.
- curious
- Curious can mean strange as well as interesting.
- puzzling
- Puzzling stresses confusion, with no sense of pleasure.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: intriguing or intrigued?
intriguing vs intrigued
Intrigued describes the person who feels curious; intriguing describes the thing that causes it.
Practice
I was ___ by the strange symbols carved on the old door.
Choose one answer.
The subject feels the curiosity, so the -ed form 'intrigued' is needed. 'Intriguing' would describe the symbols themselves.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “intriguing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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