captivating

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adjective

cap·​ti·​vat·​ing ˈkap-tə-ˌvā-tiŋ 

: charmingly or irresistibly appealing

a captivating aroma

It's an utterly exotic combination of flavors, and a completely captivating one.

—Howard Seftel

Books with captivating stories and bright, uncomplicated artwork will enchant the very young without being too demanding.

—Ed Zotti

A captivating storyteller, he conveys the cozy domesticity of the small-time growers as well as the Technicolor style of life of the big deal-makers.

—Alison Friesinger

captivatingly adverb

a captivatingly sweet voice

Each room is named for a month, and January through December are captivatingly filled with fanciful hearts, flowers, and vines that trail over the beds, chests, and wardrobes.

—Mimi Elder

captivating

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present participle of captivate

Synonyms of captivating

Adjective

• appealing
• charismatic
• attractive
• charming
• enchanting
• fascinating
• seductive

Examples of captivating in a Sentence

Adjective

a captivating performance by the young singing sensation

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Read Cep’s Profile of Kingsolver » Our editors and critics choose the most captivating, notable, brilliant, surprising, absorbing, weird, thought-provoking, and talked-about books. — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026

In Adnan, Regan could not have found a more captivating central character, whose incisive, ever-generous way with words, philosophical wisdom, and artworks are lovingly conveyed here. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

The dancer dazzled the judges and left the audience’s jaws on the ground with his captivating, Matrix-like audition. — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026

Oakley and Reid lean so heavily into Elinor and Marianne’s crushing disappointments and the forces holding them back in a period of vast gender inequity, that their sorrows shove the characters’ more captivating qualities to the side. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1675, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for captivating

• abdicating
• abrogating
• activating
• actuating
• advocating
• aggravating
• aggregating
• agitating
• allocating
• alternating
• animating
• annotating