Definition of curious
1a archaic : made carefullyb obsolete : abstrusec archaic : precisely accurate
2a : marked by desire to investigate and learn They were curious as to who won the game. The cat was curious about its new environment.b : marked by inquisitive interest in others' concerns : nosy curious about the neighbors' doings
3 : exciting attention as strange, novel, or unexpected : odd a curious coincidence We were concerned about his curious behavior.
curiousness
nounExplore Merriam-Webster
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Examples of curious in a Sentence
The cat was naturally curious about its new surroundings.
They were curious to find out who won the game.
We're curious about why you never called us.
I'm curious to know more about her.
She found a curious old clock in the attic.
The birds were engaged in some curious behavior.
Their music is a curious blend of disco and rock.
By a curious coincidence, they bought a house the same day their old one burned down.
Recent Examples of curious from the Web
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Three words that describe you: Curious, enthusiastic and regularly humbled.
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Over the last several years, investors have grown curious about the world of professional video gaming.
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The Vanderbilt head coach delivered that curious quote after being asked about the fairness of large support staffs.
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Mine were EXTREMELY active and curious, but not at all aware of their own safety or limits.
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Very small children are often curious about peers’ being told to sit at nut-free tables and may question them about their special treatment.
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His concert Thursday night was a curious musical travelogue that shuttled from Spain to the U.S. to Bohemia.
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To start your Hall of Fishes tour with a bang, stop by the Pacific Octopus tank, where the curious cephalopod spends a lot of time pressed up against the glass.
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His eyes were his most striking feature: open to the world, questioning, curious and full of determination.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'curious'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Since the 1300s, "curious" has been variously used to describe things that in some way require, invite, or are characterized by carefulness or inquisitiveness. In so doing, it carries on the legacy of its Latin source, the adjective curiosus, meaning "careful" or "inquisitive." The comparative of "curious" is "more curious," though it is not unusual to encounter the phrase "curiouser and curiouser," made popular by the title character of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland who, Lewis Carroll tells us, "was so much surprised that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English."
Origin and Etymology of curious
Middle English, from Anglo-French curios, from Latin curiosus careful, inquisitive, from cura cure
Synonym Discussion of curious
CURIOUS Defined for English Language Learners
curious
playDefinition of curious for English Language Learners
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: having a desire to learn or know more about something or someone
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: strange, unusual, or unexpected
CURIOUS Defined for Kids
curious
playDefinition of curious for Students
1 : eager to learn : inquisitive Curious onlookers gathered at the scene.
2 : showing an eagerness to learn a curious expression
3 : attracting attention by being strange or unusual : odd “… I'm a … collector … and I like to look at curious specimens.” — Oliver Butterworth, The Enormous Egg
curiously
adverbLearn More about curious
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See words that rhyme with curious Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for curious Spanish Central: Translation of curious Nglish: Translation of curious for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of curious for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
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