curious

adjective

cu·ri·ous | \ ˈkyu̇r-ē-əs

, ˈkyər-\

Definition of curious

1a : 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

2 : exciting attention as strange, novel, or unexpected : odd a curious coincidence We were concerned about his curious behavior.

3a archaic : made carefully

b archaic : precisely accurate

c obsolete : abstruse

Other Words from curious Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about curious

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Synonyms & Antonyms for curious

Synonyms

inquisitive, nosy (or nosey), prying, snoopy

Antonyms

incurious, uncurious

Choose the Right Synonym for curious

curious, inquisitive, prying mean interested in what is not one's personal or proper concern. curious, a neutral term, basically connotes an active desire to learn or to know. children are curious about everything inquisitive suggests impertinent and habitual curiosity and persistent quizzing. dreaded the visits of their inquisitive relatives prying implies busy meddling and officiousness. prying neighbors who refuse to mind their own business

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."

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 on the Web

The battle was one of several curious news items in the Mesozoic Era of the drive-in theater, which swept across the Bay Area in the early ’50s, but managed to all but miss San Francisco. — Peter Hartlaub, SFChronicle.com, "SF almost had a Sutro Drive-In in 1950, and more local outdoor movie history," 13 July 2018 All the curious gawkers — women like me — brought a new kind of readership. — Lydia Kiesling, The Cut, "The Evolution of a Mormon Mommy Blogger," 27 June 2018 At Schnabel’s first show, in early 1979, the curious gathered, but sales were slim. — Town & Country, "Mary Boone Is Taking a Break," 18 Apr. 2019 There’s no official dosage recommendations for CBD; this sloppy trial-and-error approach is pretty standard for the newly curious. . — Gretchen Lidicker, Marie Claire, "CBD Completely Changed How I Handled My Anxiety," 18 Apr. 2019 During their exchange, the Duke of Sussex seemed curious about a certain aspect of parenting: the sleep schedule. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince Harry Wants to Know How Much Sleep He'll Get When the Royal Baby Arrives," 3 Apr. 2019 This was Colorado’s first full week since demoting erstwhile ace Jon Gray to the minor leagues, a move that’s still a little curious. — SI.com, "The American League Controls the Top and Bottom Tiers of Our Power Rankings," 10 July 2018 As a Jewish teenager in Romania in the 1930s, Egon Balas was curious about math, physics and girls. — James R. Hagerty, WSJ, "Egon Balas, Jailed and Tortured in Romania, Found Salvation in Math," 29 Mar. 2019 The organization was curious about whether cash transfers — literally giving people who just suffered through a disaster cash — worked well for disaster relief. — Kelsey Piper, Vox, "Why disaster relief is so hard," 25 Mar. 2019

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.

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Dictionary Entries near curious

curiouser and curiouser

curiously

curite

Statistics for curious

Last Updated

8 Jun 2019

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Time Traveler for curious

The first known use of curious was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for curious

curious

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of curious

: having a desire to learn or know more about something or someone

: strange, unusual, or unexpected

See the full definition for curious in the English Language Learners Dictionary

curious

adjective

cu·ri·ous | \ ˈkyu̇r-ē-əs

Kids Definition of curious

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