Definition of curiosity
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
3a : 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
From the M-W Editors
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
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And the answer could be important for more than curiosity’s sake.
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Perhaps the most fruitful way of thinking about fine tuning is to appreciate it as a focus for curiosity.
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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?
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There is the childish curiosity of Amy and Marie (adorable Addison Riecke), as well as the teenage lust of Alicia (Elle Fanning).
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Both had an innate curiosity in tinkering and making things.
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This false-color combination makes Curiosity, which is about 10 feet long and nine feet wide, pop out as a bright blue in the terrain of tan rocks and patches of dark sand.
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Curiosity can now scan each new location and use artificial intelligence to find promising targets for its ChemCam.
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A: Teachers should be asking kids questions and probing their curiosities in the same way.
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.
Origin and Etymology of curiosity
see curious
CURIOSITY Defined for English Language Learners
curiosity
playDefinition of curiosity for English Language Learners
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: the desire to learn or know more about something or someone
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: something that is interesting because it is unusual
CURIOSITY Defined for Kids
curiosity
playDefinition of curiosity for Students
curiosities
1 : an eager desire to learn and often to learn things that are another's concern “What's happening?” he asked with curiosity.
2 : something strange or unusual They both sat looking at Harriet as though she were a curiosity put on television to entertain them. — Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet the Spy
3 : an object or article valued because it is strange or rare
Learn More about curiosity
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See words that rhyme with curiosity Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for curiosity Spanish Central: Translation of curiosity Nglish: Translation of curiosity for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of curiosity for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about curiosity
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