interesting

adjective

in·​ter·​est·​ing ˈin-t(ə-)rə-stiŋ  ˈin-tə-ˌre- 

ˈin-ˌtre-;

ˈin-tər-

: holding the attention : arousing interest

interestingness noun

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The Pronunciation and History of Interesting

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 of interesting

• intriguing
• fascinating
• engaging
• exciting
• absorbing

Examples of interesting in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s one song that Michael Sanders and I, and my other writing partner Michael Ciro, wrote together that was really interesting. — Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Smart did reveal some interesting nuggets about his team this fall in his various interviews during SEC media days. — Connor Riley, AJC.com, 22 July 2026

More of a rotational player than a starter at Notre Dame the past two seasons, Viliamu-Asa has the ability to be a three-down weapon in any college defense and projects as an interesting stack linebacker with sam/edge capability. — Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 22 July 2026

Arguably the most interesting beverage offerings at the fair are at The Modern Pour, which has a presence near the entrance and in the cannabis pavilion. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for interesting

• uninteresting

Kids Definition

interesting

adjective

in·​ter·​est·​ing ˈin-trəst-iŋ  ˈint-ə-ˌrest-iŋ 

-ə-rəst-, 

-ərst-

: holding the attention : arousing interest