riveting
adjective
riv·et·ing
ˈri-və-tiŋ 
: having the power to fix the attention : engrossing, fascinating
a riveting story
Synonyms
Examples of riveting in a Sentence
a riveting explanation of light waves that fascinated the class
Recent Examples on the Web
The series takes what could be a dry story about accounting errors and weaves it into a riveting, deeply human narrative.
—
Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Their respect for the game and its scenario — a dystopian Earth more than 200 years after a nuclear attack — and their decision to fill out the characters’ back stories make for a riveting series.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
With his riveting new action thriller of the same name, writer/director Alex Garland delivers a riveting cautionary tale that forces viewers to confront its terrifying real-life consequences.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
These are nimble creatives who know how to adapt—even in the midst of a conservative season, designers came through with riveting displays of creativity and commercial savvy.
—Vogue, 6 Apr. 2024
According to fans, this award-winning Wondery podcast makes even the most dense of topics a riveting listen.
—Eda Yu, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
Above all, Zero Dark Thirty is a riveting recreation of one of the most intense intelligence operations of all time, while its lack of cut-and-dry ethical stances speaks to the darkest side of the espionage game — and human nature.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
The series is riveting, excruciating, and, at times, headspinningly meta: one scene involves his boyfriend, Mike, realizing that he’s being lied to because of the way a crew member rushes in for a closeup.
—The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
The result is a riveting suite of pop operettas mixing R&B melodies with alt-rock riffs, voice-note recordings, phone-notification pings, and anxious ad libs, all stitched together in Gray’s sprawling self-productions.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 29 Mar. 2024
Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Their respect for the game and its scenario — a dystopian Earth more than 200 years after a nuclear attack — and their decision to fill out the characters’ back stories make for a riveting series.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
With his riveting new action thriller of the same name, writer/director Alex Garland delivers a riveting cautionary tale that forces viewers to confront its terrifying real-life consequences.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
These are nimble creatives who know how to adapt—even in the midst of a conservative season, designers came through with riveting displays of creativity and commercial savvy.
—Vogue, 6 Apr. 2024
According to fans, this award-winning Wondery podcast makes even the most dense of topics a riveting listen.
—Eda Yu, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
Above all, Zero Dark Thirty is a riveting recreation of one of the most intense intelligence operations of all time, while its lack of cut-and-dry ethical stances speaks to the darkest side of the espionage game — and human nature.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
The series is riveting, excruciating, and, at times, headspinningly meta: one scene involves his boyfriend, Mike, realizing that he’s being lied to because of the way a crew member rushes in for a closeup.
—The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
The result is a riveting suite of pop operettas mixing R&B melodies with alt-rock riffs, voice-note recordings, phone-notification pings, and anxious ad libs, all stitched together in Gray’s sprawling self-productions.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'riveting.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Riveting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riveting. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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