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

Antonyms

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 Apparently investigators had been curious about why the SLM stock had so abruptly dropped off a cliff. — Abraham Riesman, Vulture, "Stan Lee and the Dot-Com Disaster," 12 Feb. 2021 Teachers and administrators were also curious about the timeline laid out by DeWine. — cleveland, "With the state shirking vaccine planning to local governments, some are concerned if Ohio will be ready to ramp up shots," 10 Jan. 2021 Teaching them to read, write, count and add, as well as encouraging them to be curious about their world, respectful and kind, is different online. — Christina Hyder, baltimoresun.com, "After a year of challenges, here’s to the future | NORTH LAUREL/SAVAGE," 31 Dec. 2020 My main recommendation is to be curious about other people's perspectives, to focus on communication and not affirmation. — Ryan Prior, CNN, "How to harness brain science for a better life, explained by a neuroscientist," 30 Dec. 2020 Many readers were curious about whether folks can actually do that. — Washington Post, "The top wellness topics of 2020 — coronavirus and fitness," 28 Dec. 2020 Barker is also curious about whether taking two different regimens would be beneficial. — Sarah Elizabeth Richards, Science, "Should people take more than one type of COVID-19 vaccine?," 18 Dec. 2020 Another curious piece of missing data is about politicians in the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir. — Manavi Kapur, Quartz India, "A list of things the Modi government says it has no data on," 17 Sep. 2020 For those who are curious, in 12 games, Alabama averaged more than 48 points. — Marc Bona, cleveland, "How did ESPN do with its Ohio State-Alabama National Championship coverage?," 12 Jan. 2021

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

20 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Curious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curious. Accessed 1 Mar. 2021.

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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

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