curiosity

noun cu·ri·os·i·ty \ ˌkyu̇r-ē-ˈä-s(ə-)tē , ˌkyər- \

Definition of curiosity

plural curiosities

1 :desire to know:

a :inquisitive interest in others' concerns :nosiness

The construction inside their house aroused the curiosity of their neighbors.

b :interest leading to inquiry

intellectual curiosity

Her natural curiosity led her to ask more questions.

2 archaic :undue nicety or fastidiousness

3 a :one that arouses interest especially for uncommon or exotic characteristics

Tobacco was once regarded as a curiosity in Europe.

b :an unusual knickknack :curio

The antique shop was full of curiosities.

c :a curious trait or aspect

See curiosity defined for English-language learners

See curiosity defined for kids

Examples of curiosity in a Sentence

Her natural curiosity led her to ask more questions.
The arrival of a construction crew at their house attracted the curiosity of their neighbors.
The movie failed to satisfy her curiosity about the assassination.
Tobacco was once a curiosity in Europe.
The antique shop was full of curiosities.

Recent Examples of curiosity from the Web

A lot of curiosity follows true freshman Journey Brown, who rushed for 2,791 yards, averaged 12.8 yards per carry and scored 45 touchdowns (no, these are not misprints) last season for Meadville (Pa.) High School.

— joe juliano, Philly.com, "Penn State position analysis: Running back," 16 Aug. 2017
Short of boarding a space shuttle, a planetarium offers the best possible environment to satisfy one's celestial curiosity, and better still, earn credits to fulfill a science requirement at Indiana University Northwest.

— erika rose, Post-Tribune, "IU Northwest astronomy professor explains fascination with upcoming solar eclipse," 10 Aug. 2017
For its first few years, the ASP was more of an intellectual curiosity than a political organization.

— jeff cimmino, National Review, "The American Solidarity Party Charts Its Own Path," 7 Aug. 2017
This is not a man who brushes up on the U.S. president’s pardon powers out of sheer intellectual curiosity.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Assures Lawyers That His Attacks on Sessions Are Wholly Irrational," 27 July 2017
The rest mentor pupils in character traits such as curiosity and self-awareness.

— The Economist, "EdtechTechnology is transforming what happens when a child goes to school," 22 July 2017
And the answer could be important for more than curiosity’s sake.

— robert barnes, Washington Post, "A Supreme Court mystery: Has Roberts embraced same-sex marriage ruling?," 16 July 2017
Perhaps the most fruitful way of thinking about fine tuning is to appreciate it as a focus for curiosity.

— The Economist, "If the universe was not “fine-tuned”Reflections on the fine-structure constant," 13 July 2017
So, in that spirit of genial, cheeky curiosity: What’s the Old Globe’s angle in putting up this show — for the first time ever?

— james hebert, sandiegouniontribune.com, "'Guys and Dolls' a polished retro spectacle at Old Globe," 8 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'curiosity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.