Interesting word and meaning

Laura Kate Bradley / Moment / Getty Images

by Kate Woodford

On this blog, we often look at the various English words and phrases that we use to express the same concept. This week we’re focusing on the word ‘interesting’. There are lots of synonyms (or rather, ‘near-synonyms’) for this adjective but most carry an extra meaning. In this post, I’ll try to show the differences in meaning between these near-synonyms and provide you with a range of ‘interesting’ vocabulary!

If you find something extremely interesting, you can use the adjective fascinating:

I read a fascinating book on the subject.

It’s a fascinating subject.

If something interests you, partly because you cannot fully understand it and want to know more, you might describe it as intriguing:

The novel’s opening chapter is very intriguing.

A book, film or activity that is so interesting, it completely holds your attention, might be described as absorbing:

I found his last novel very absorbing.

Even stronger than ‘absorbing’, but with the same meaning is the adjective engrossing:

It’s a really engrossing story.

Something that holds all your attention because it is both interesting and exciting might be described as compelling:

I found the whole film compelling from start to finish.

Other adjectives with a similar meaning are riveting and gripping:

The first act of the play was completely riveting.

It’s a really gripping read.

Meanwhile, if a talk, book, film, etc. is interesting because it makes you think a lot about a subject, you can say that it is thought-provoking:

It was a very thought-provoking talk.

A job or discussion that is stimulating makes you keep feeling interested, often by providing you with new ideas:

He finds his new job much more stimulating.

We had a very stimulating discussion.

Sometimes, things are interesting in a rather unusual way. For this combination of qualities, we have the adjective curious:

There were some very curious-looking frogs in there.

Conversation or company that is interesting and enjoyable is sometimes described as sparkling, especially if it is clever and funny:

Georgie was in sparkling form.

The conversation was positively sparkling.

Gossip (= news about other people’s private lives) that is interesting because it is rather shocking may be described informally as juicy:

I’ve got some juicy gossip for you!

There is also a group of ‘interesting’ adjectives that mean ‘interesting enough to be spoken of’, for example notable:

Was anything notable said in the meeting?

A more formal way of saying this is worthy of attention/notice/note:

We saw a couple of fairly entertaining short films but nothing worthy of note.

An event that is interesting enough to be described in a news report may be described as newsworthy:

Nothing newsworthy ever happened in her parents’ town.

If you find something engrossing, thought-provoking or stimulating this week, perhaps you’d like to tell us?

: holding the attention : arousing interest

Did you know?

There are a number of ways to say interesting. It can have three syllables or four; it can have an accent only on the first syllable, or it can also have a secondary accent on the «res»; the first «e» can get ignored, resulting in a second syllable of «tres» rhyming with dress; or the second «e» can be ignored, resulting in a syllable that sounds like terse. All of these various pronunciations are well-established and occur in the speech of educated, native speakers of English.

The word interesting originally meant «of concern»; it was a synonym of important. It comes from the verb interest, which in its original use meant «to induce or persuade to participate or engage.» If you were interested in something, you were not willing to be a bystander; you felt the need to participate or engage.

Synonyms

Example Sentences



This is one of the most interesting books I’ve read all year.



It will be interesting to see how she decides to spend the money.



This building has an interesting history.



I don’t find politics very interesting.



I found it interesting to learn that she had once lived in California.



Most of what he said wasn’t interesting to me.

See More

Recent Examples on the Web

That would be really interesting to put her in a group of people who are still striving in different ways.


Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 31 Mar. 2023





Monarch butterflies are among the most interesting and popular butterflies in North America.


Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Mar. 2023





With only three people on the tribe, anyone could turn on anyone, and that creates a really interesting dynamic.


Erica Thompson, The Enquirer, 30 Mar. 2023





There was this really interesting structured non-structure to it all.


Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2023





Steven Cherry That’s interesting.


IEEE Spectrum, 29 Mar. 2023





What’s very interesting is the same groups are targeted over and over again.


The Politics Of Everything, The New Republic, 29 Mar. 2023





Lewis: That’s interesting.


Josh Fischman, Scientific American, 29 Mar. 2023





This is going to be a really interesting one.


Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 29 Mar. 2023



See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘interesting.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of interesting was
in 1768

Dictionary Entries Near interesting

Cite this Entry

“Interesting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interesting. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.

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More from Merriam-Webster on interesting

Last Updated:
4 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences

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Merriam-Webster unabridged

The main purpose which I have had in view in writing this book has been to present an account of Greek philosophy which, within strict limits of brevity, shall be at once authentic and interesting — _authentic_, as being based on the original works themselves, and not on any secondary sources; _interesting_, as presenting to the ordinary English reader, in language freed as far as possible from technicality and abstruseness, the great thoughts of the greatest men of antiquity on questions of permanent significance and value. ❋ John Marshall (1880)

I think she’s done a great job leveraging interesting content over her good looks to create a show that is actually _interesting_ to watch, and isn’t just another blond chick using her beauty to attract viewers. ❋ Michael Arrington (2005)

Not only are they likely to give me crap about my clothes or something equally as important they will use the word interesting to describe what Im wearing, and we all know that to most people, interesting is not a compliment, but I dont especially want to watch Jay with his hands practically up Amys shirt right there on the front lawn. ❋ Deb Caletti (2009)

Probably what most people think about when the term interesting bark is mentioned, the row of riverbirches along the wooden fence near the house has entered its peeling stage. ❋ Unknown (2008)

The term interesting traffic means that when traffic meeting a pre-determined type or load is seen by the router, it knows that an ISDN call is warranted to pass that traffic to its destination. ❋ Unknown (2009)

Book value of the company is $23.05 per share and of course I say that’s somewhat, I think I used the term interesting, but also somewhat frustrating to us given where we’re currently trading. ❋ Unknown (2009)

What makes this interesting is the fact that the current production reserves are a few million barrels a day, largely from Saudi Arabia. ❋ Unknown (2008)

They pointed to him in particular as going — as coming back saying he wasn’t going to do inspections, and then suddenly going out, doing some very — what they call interesting inspections. ❋ Unknown (2003)

«It depends what you call interesting,» was his rejoinder to the unconventional reply. ❋ George Gissing (1880)

If you are a goose, cackling a great deal, silly at heart and wholly indifferent about to-morrow, you will choose just what you call the interesting titles. ❋ Edward Everett Hale (1865)

Yahoo-Microsoft deal, but he complimented Yahoo on what he called interesting innovations in search. ❋ Unknown (2009)

Brin declined to say whether he thinks government regulators should or shouldn’t approve the Yahoo-Microsoft deal, but he complimented Yahoo on what he called interesting innovations in search. ❋ Unknown (2009)

Not really a scalable model but the concept of new experiences in interesting, meaningful contexts is worth examining. ❋ Dean Shareski (2010)

Especially the last one, though I’m not sure ‘interesting‘ is really quite the right word for it. ❋ Unknown (2008)

[Yes], your [bottle cap] [collection] is interesting. ❋ Prof. Wetwang (2004)

«[what is] you definition of interesting?
[Oh God], Oh God, [we’re all going to die]» ❋ Taco Lord (2011)

1)»I like to study.» — «Interesting…»
2)»I got [10 kinds] of nasty at the party last night!» — «Interesting…were there a lot of [hot guys] there?»
3)»I have 3 cars, 2 bikes, and I am a [personal trainer].» — «Interesting (check out person)…so what was your name again?» ❋ CMurder (2006)

«I’m [planning] to [jump off a building]»
«[Interesting]» ❋ Turby (2005)

[Interesting] as defined in «[Serenity]». (Had to [do it] ;) ) ❋ Kazuya Darklight (2005)

1. Stacy: «…and then after he gave me flowers, he tried to KISS me! Eww!»
Rebecca: «…Huh? Oh. Interesting.»
2. Joe: «So, how do you like the [veggie] burgers I made?»
Steve: «Well, they’re interesting…»
3. Acquaintance: «[Yeah, so] how about them Yankees? I got their logo tattooed on my back last week. It’s not healing properly though, the edges have [pus].»
You: «Interesting…» ❋ Stfukthxdood (2010)

[Globalization] is an interesting problem for many nations.
[VP] [Cheney] is an interesting person. ❋ Larry Lynch (2008)

First, he said he will come to the party. After he got to know [the host], he said he had [no time] and needed to work. [That’s interesting]! ❋ PeterDan00 (2010)

[Liselle]: «[I ate]»
Karen: «Interesting» (and [rolls eyes]) ❋ Karen WHAATT (2003)

‘hmm…interesting ❋ TheNay (2003)

When you’re giving a speech, you probably hope that your audience is gazing at you in fascination because what you’re saying is so interesting, and not because you’ve got something weird on your face.

The adjective interesting describes something that makes you curious, or catches your attention, but sometimes people use the word in a doubtful way when they are taken aback but want to be polite. Like if your grandmother looks at your new tattoo and says, «Well, that’s certainly interesting!» Chances are she’s not actually feeling very enthusiastic about your choice of body art.

Definitions of interesting

  1. adjective

    arousing or holding the attention

    Synonyms:

    exciting

    creating or arousing excitement

    absorbing, compelling, engrossing, fascinating, gripping, riveting

    capable of arousing and holding the attention

    entertaining

    agreeably diverting

    amusing, amusive, diverting

    providing enjoyment; pleasantly entertaining

    intriguing

    capable of arousing interest or curiosity

    newsworthy

    sufficiently interesting to be reported in a newspaper

    stimulating

    rousing or quickening activity or the senses

    see moresee less

    Antonyms:

    uninteresting

    arousing no interest or attention or curiosity or excitement

    unexciting

    not exciting

    boring, deadening, dull, ho-hum, irksome, slow, tedious, tiresome, wearisome

    so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness

    insipid, jejune

    lacking interest or significance or impact

    narcotic, soporiferous, soporific

    inducing mental lethargy

    earthbound, pedestrian, prosaic, prosy

    lacking wit or imagination

    ponderous

    labored and dull

    putdownable

    (of a book) poorly written and not entertaining

    unexciting, unstimulating

    not stimulating

    show more antonyms…

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘interesting’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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  • Top Definitions
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  • When To Use
  • Examples
  • British

This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.

[ in-ter-uh-sting, -truh-sting, -tuh-res-ting ]

/ ˈɪn tər ə stɪŋ, -trə stɪŋ, -təˌrɛs tɪŋ /

This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.


adjective

engaging or exciting and holding the attention or curiosity: an interesting book.

arousing a feeling of interest: an interesting face.

QUIZ

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Idioms about interesting

    in an interesting condition, (of a woman) pregnant.

OTHER WORDS FROM interesting

in·ter·est·ing·ly, adverbin·ter·est·ing·ness, nounun·in·ter·est·ing, adjectiveun·in·ter·est·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby interesting

interdisciplinary, interest, interested, interesterification, interest group, interesting, interest rate, interest-rate futures, interface, interfacial, interfacial tension

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say interesting?

A person or a thing that is interesting arouses a feeling of curiosity or concern, or is engaging and exciting. But interesting isn’t quite the same as pleasing or gratifying. Find out why on Thesaurus.com.

Words related to interesting

alluring, amusing, attractive, beautiful, compelling, curious, delightful, engaging, exotic, fascinating, impressive, intriguing, lovely, pleasing, provocative, readable, refreshing, stimulating, striking, thought-provoking

How to use interesting in a sentence

  • It was interesting enough to take down the whole cake, and maybe even dip into the tube bag for another, and another.

  • Eventually you’ll be able to calculate something interesting, such as the path of a whole billiard ball.

  • That’s why an interesting pattern in analyzing SEO agencies is looking at the ones that access self-serve reporting platforms to allow full transparency and a semi-automation of the process.

  • The most interesting new strap is called the Solo Loop and it doesn’t have a clasp at all.

  • He shared some interesting news about a new program Lowe’s is launching to get more products from small and minority-owned businesses on its shelves.

  • Interesting that those who sat in judgment of him found those two sets of beliefs to be incompatible.

  • “I found him to to be an interesting person,” Krauss said of the first impression.

  • Two factors made Hiram Revels especially interesting to the Washington establishment.

  • These are eight of the most interesting laws passed in the second session of the 113th Congress.

  • Opechatesgays.com is one project of a much larger organization, EthicalOil.org—and here is where things get really interesting.

  • We prefer the American volume of Hochelaga to the Canadian one, although both are highly interesting.

  • To Americans Mrs. Wright is interesting by reason of her patriotism, which amounted to a passion.

  • It goes without saying that Ferns of all kinds are interesting plants to grow in the garden and house.

  • I seized the opportunity to watch what I supposed would be a most interesting interview, from behind a curtain.

  • Be Bry in his History of Brazil describes its use and also some interesting particulars concerning the plant.

British Dictionary definitions for interesting

interesting

/ (ˈɪntrɪstɪŋ, -tərɪs-) /


adjective

inspiring interest; absorbing

Derived forms of interesting

interestingly, adverbinterestingness, noun

Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

    • See Also:
      • interdiffuse
      • interdigitate
      • interdisciplinary
      • interembrace
      • interentangle
      • interest
      • interest group
      • interest-rate futures
      • interested
      • interesterification
      • interesting
      • interface
      • interfacial
      • interfacial tension
      • interfacing
      • interfaith
      • interfenestration
      • interfere
      • interference
      • interference drag
      • interference microscope
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WordReference Random House Learner’s Dictionary of American English © 2023

in•ter•est•ing /ˈɪntərəstɪŋ, -trəstɪŋ/USA pronunciation  
adj. 

  1. exciting the attention;
    intriguing:an interesting book.[it + be + ~ + (that) clause]It was interesting that she should return to the scene of the murder.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2023

in•ter•est•ing 
(intər ə sting, -trə sting, -tə res′ting),USA pronunciation adj. 

  1. engaging or exciting and holding the attention or curiosity:an interesting book.
  2. arousing a feeling of interest:an interesting face.
  3. in an interesting condition, (of a woman) pregnant.
  • interest + —ing2 1705–15

inter•est•ing•ly, adv. 
inter•est•ing•ness, n. 

    • 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged absorbing, entertaining.
      Interesting, pleasing, gratifying mean satisfying to the mind. Something that is interesting occupies the mind with no connotation of pleasure or displeasure:an interesting account of a battle.Something that is pleasing engages the mind favorably:a pleasing account of the wedding.Something that is gratifying fulfills expectations, requirements, etc.:a gratifying account of his whereabouts; a book gratifying in its detail.


    • 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged dull.


Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

interesting /ˈɪntrɪstɪŋ -tərɪs-/ adj

  1. inspiring interest; absorbing


ˈinterestingly adv ˈinterestingness n

WordReference Random House Learner’s Dictionary of American English © 2023

in•ter•est /ˈɪntərɪst, -trɪst/USA pronunciation  
n. 

  1. a feeling of having one’s attention attracted by something: [countable]an interest in architecture.[uncountable]I lost interest in the movie.
  2. something that arouses such feelings:[countable]Chess is his only interest.
  3. the power to excite such feelings:[uncountable]a subject that holds little interest for me.
  4. concern or importance:[uncountable]a matter of great interest.
  5. a cause, etc., in which a person has a concern:[countable]made that slow business a going interest.
  6. Business a legal share, right, or title, as in the ownership of property:[countable]a small interest in the property he inherited from his mother.
  7. Often, interests. [plural] a group having influence on and often financially involved in an area of activity:[countable]Big Oil interests in congressional races.
  8. benefit;
    advantage: [often: interests; plural]We have your best interests in mind.[uncountable]It’s in your best interest.
  9. Business money paid or charged for a loan (often expressed as a percent):[uncountable]borrowed at 8 percent interest.
  10. something added to be more than an exact equivalent:[uncountable]returned the insult with interest.

v. [+ object* not: be + ~-ing]

  1. to excite the attention of:Nothing interests her anymore.[it + ~ + object + that clause]It interests me that you want to see him.
  2. to concern (a person, etc.);
    to be in the interests of:The fight for peace interests most nations.
  3. to cause to participate:Can I interest you in dinner and a movie?

Idioms

  1. Idioms in the interest(s) of, for the sake of;
    on behalf of:acting in the interests of good government.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2023

in•ter•est 
(intər ist, -trist),USA pronunciation n. 

  1. the feeling of a person whose attention, concern, or curiosity is particularly engaged by something:She has a great interest in the poetry of Donne.
  2. something that concerns, involves, draws the attention of, or arouses the curiosity of a person:His interests are philosophy and chess.
  3. power of exciting such concern, involvement, etc.;
    quality of being interesting:political issues of great interest.
  4. concern;
    importance:a matter of primary interest.
  5. a business, cause, or the like in which a person has a share, concern, responsibility, etc.
  6. a share, right, or title in the ownership of property, in a commercial or financial undertaking, or the like:He bought half an interest in the store.
  7. a participation in or concern for a cause, advantage, responsibility, etc.
  8. a number or group of persons, or a party, financially interested in the same business, industry, or enterprise:the banking interest.
  9. interests, the group of persons or organizations having extensive financial or business power.
  10. the state of being affected by something in respect to advantage or detriment:We need an arbiter who is without interest in the outcome.
  11. benefit;
    advantage:to have one’s own interest in mind.
  12. regard for one’s own advantage or profit;
    self-interest:The partnership dissolved because of their conflicting interests.
  13. influence from personal importance or capability;
    power of influencing the action of others.
  14. Business[Finance.]
    • a sum paid or charged for the use of money or for borrowing money.
    • Businesssuch a sum expressed as a percentage of money borrowed to be paid over a given period, usually one year.

  15. something added or thrown in above an exact equivalent:Jones paid him back with a left hook and added a right uppercut for interest.
  16. Idioms in the interest(s) of, to the advantage or advancement of;
    in behalf of:in the interests of good government.

v.t.

  1. to engage or excite the attention or curiosity of:Mystery stories interested him greatly.
  2. to concern (a person, nation, etc.) in something;
    involve:The fight for peace interests all nations.
  3. to cause to take a personal concern or share;
    induce to participate:to interest a person in an enterprise.
  4. to cause to be concerned;
    affect.
  • Medieval Latin, Latin: to concern, literally, to be between; (verb, verbal) earlier interess as verb, verbal use of the noun, nominal; see inter-, esse
  • Medieval Latin, Latin: it concerns, literally, it is between; replacing interesse
  • (noun, nominal) Middle English 1225–75

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

interest /ˈɪntrɪst -tərɪst/ n

  1. the sense of curiosity about or concern with something or someone
  2. the power of stimulating such a sense: to have great interest
  3. the quality of such stimulation
  4. something in which one is interested; a hobby or pursuit
  5. (often plural) benefit; advantage: in one’s own interest
  6. (often plural) a right, share, or claim, esp in a business or property
  7. a charge for the use of credit or borrowed money
  8. such a charge expressed as a percentage per time unit of the sum borrowed or used
  9. (often plural) a section of a community, etc, whose members have common aims: we must not offend the landed interest
  10. declare an interestto make known one’s connection, esp a prejudicial connection, with an affair

vb (transitive)

  1. to arouse or excite the curiosity or concern of
  2. to cause to become involved in something; concern

Etymology: 15th Century: from Latin: it concerns, from interesse; from inter- + esse to be

interesting‘ also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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  • The main purpose which I have had in view in writing this book has been to present an account of Greek philosophy which, within strict limits of brevity, shall be at once authentic and interesting — _authentic_, as being based on the original works themselves, and not on any secondary sources; _interesting_, as presenting to the ordinary English reader, in language freed as far as possible from technicality and abstruseness, the great thoughts of the greatest men of antiquity on questions of permanent significance and value.

    A Short History of Greek Philosophy

  • I think she’s done a great job leveraging interesting content over her good looks to create a show that is actually _interesting_ to watch, and isn’t just another blond chick using her beauty to attract viewers.

    PopSnap: Sarah Meyers’ Live Online TV Show

  • Not only are they likely to give me crap about my clothes or something equally as important they will use the word interesting to describe what Im wearing, and we all know that to most people, interesting is not a compliment, but I dont especially want to watch Jay with his hands practically up Amys shirt right there on the front lawn.

    The Fortunes of Indigo Skye

  • Not only are they likely to give me crap about my clothes or something equally as important they will use the word interesting to describe what Im wearing, and we all know that to most people, interesting is not a compliment, but I dont especially want to watch Jay with his hands practically up Amys shirt right there on the front lawn.

    The Fortunes of Indigo Skye

  • Not only are they likely to give me crap about my clothes or something equally as important they will use the word interesting to describe what Im wearing, and we all know that to most people, interesting is not a compliment, but I dont especially want to watch Jay with his hands practically up Amys shirt right there on the front lawn.

    The Fortunes of Indigo Skye

  • Not only are they likely to give me crap about my clothes or something equally as important they will use the word interesting to describe what Im wearing, and we all know that to most people, interesting is not a compliment, but I dont especially want to watch Jay with his hands practically up Amys shirt right there on the front lawn.

    The Fortunes of Indigo Skye

  • Probably what most people think about when the term interesting bark is mentioned, the row of riverbirches along the wooden fence near the house has entered its peeling stage.

    Bark « Fairegarden

  • The term interesting traffic means that when traffic meeting a pre-determined type or load is seen by the router, it knows that an ISDN call is warranted to pass that traffic to its destination.

    CertCities.com | IT Forums

  • The term interesting traffic means that when traffic meeting a pre-determined type or load is seen by the router, it knows that an ISDN call is warranted to pass that traffic to its destination.

    CertCities.com | IT Forums

  • Book value of the company is $23.05 per share and of course I say that’s somewhat, I think I used the term interesting, but also somewhat frustrating to us given where we’re currently trading.

    SeekingAlpha.com: Home Page

  • Dictionary
  • I
  • Interesting

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [in-ter-uh-sting, -truh-sting, -tuh-res-ting]
    • /ˈɪn tər ə stɪŋ, -trə stɪŋ, -təˌrɛs tɪŋ/
    • /ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [in-ter-uh-sting, -truh-sting, -tuh-res-ting]
    • /ˈɪn tər ə stɪŋ, -trə stɪŋ, -təˌrɛs tɪŋ/

Definitions of interesting word

  • adjective interesting engaging or exciting and holding the attention or curiosity: an interesting book. 1
  • adjective interesting arousing a feeling of interest: an interesting face. 1
  • idioms interesting in the interest(s) of, to the advantage or advancement of; in behalf of: in the interests of good government. 1
  • noun interesting the feeling of a person whose attention, concern, or curiosity is particularly engaged by something: She has a great interest in the poetry of Donne. 1
  • noun interesting something that concerns, involves, draws the attention of, or arouses the curiosity of a person: His interests are philosophy and chess. 1
  • noun interesting power of exciting such concern, involvement, etc.; quality of being interesting: political issues of great interest. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of interesting

First appearance:

before 1705

One of the 50% oldest English words

First recorded in 1705-15; interest + -ing2

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Interesting

interesting popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 89% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between «mom» and «screwdriver».

Synonyms for interesting

adj interesting

  • beautiful — A beautiful person is very attractive to look at.
  • attractive — A person who is attractive is pleasant to look at.
  • intriguing — to arouse the curiosity or interest of by unusual, new, or otherwise fascinating or compelling qualities; appeal strongly to; captivate: The plan intrigues me, but I wonder if it will work.
  • lovely — charmingly or exquisitely beautiful: a lovely flower.
  • provocative — tending or serving to provoke; inciting, stimulating, irritating, or vexing.

adjective interesting

  • exciting — Causing great enthusiasm and eagerness.
  • out of the ordinary — of no special quality or interest; commonplace; unexceptional: One novel is brilliant, the other is decidedly ordinary; an ordinary person.
  • remarkable — notably or conspicuously unusual; extraordinary: a remarkable change.
  • noteworthy — worthy of notice or attention; notable; remarkable: a noteworthy addition to our collection of rare books.
  • appealing — Someone or something that is appealing is pleasing and attractive.

Antonyms for interesting

adj interesting

  • disgusting — causing disgust; offensive to the physical, moral, or aesthetic taste.
  • repulsive — causing repugnance or aversion: a repulsive mask.
  • unattractive — providing pleasure or delight, especially in appearance or manner; pleasing; charming; alluring: an attractive personality.
  • boring — Someone or something boring is so dull and uninteresting that they make people tired and impatient.
  • usual — habitual or customary: her usual skill.

adjective interesting

  • disenchanting — Present participle of disenchant.

Top questions with interesting

  • how to be interesting?
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  • how to be more interesting?

See also

  • All definitions of interesting
  • Synonyms for interesting
  • Antonyms for interesting
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  • interesting pronunciation

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