curious

adjective

cu·ri·ous | \ ˈkyu̇r-ē-əs

, ˈkyər-\

Definition of curious

1a archaic : made carefully

b obsolete : abstruse

c 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.

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

This curious Economist piece imagines a world in which women hold half of all global CEO jobs. — Kristen Bellstrom, Fortune, "Wimbledon, Scarlett Johansson, House of Cards: Broadsheet July 6th," 6 July 2018 Census data paints a curious picture of the West Bank. — Chelsea Brasted, NOLA.com, "As New Orleans grows, are we forgetting Algiers?," 6 June 2018 This is a curious movie to commemorate, for that reason. — K. Austin Collins, HWD, "Why We Still Love The Last Days of Disco," 29 May 2018 Starting today, all of Tiffany & Co.’s diamonds will be 100 percent geographically transparent—for those curious about more origin stories, the information will be displayed in the case alongside the jewels. — Olivia Martin, Town & Country, "New Year, New Jewels: Tiffany & Co. Commits to Geographic Transparency for all its Diamonds," 9 Jan. 2019 Instead of watching cartoons, Momin was soon glued to the Food Network and Cooking Channel, curious about the science behind the recipes. — Fiza Pirani, ajc, "Owner of Decatur’s Tava Indian Bistro to compete on ‘MasterChef’," 30 May 2018 But a couple years ago, curious about his Caucasian half, Hollywood had his DNA tested with an Ancestry.com kit. — Kathryn Tolbert, Washington Post, "His Japanese birth mother gave him a slip of paper with his father’s name. He didn’t intend to search for him.," 15 May 2018 Upfront Ventures partner Kara Nortman is innately curious. — Polina Marinova, Fortune, "Why This Venture Capitalist Has a Gen Z Mentor," 9 May 2018 United has a full list for the curious, but the routes include New York/Newark to Tokyo-Narita; San Francisco to Frankfurt; Washington Dulles to Paris; New York/Newark to Barcelona; and San Francisco to Hong Kong. — Katherine Lagrave, Condé Nast Traveler, "United's New 'Premium Plus' Seats Are Like Mini-Recliners," 3 Dec. 2018

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

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Last Updated

16 Feb 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