curious

adjective cu·ri·ous \ ˈkyu̇r-ē-əs , ˈkyər- \

Definition of curious

1 a archaic :made carefully

b obsolete :abstruse

c archaic :precisely accurate

2 a :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.

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curiousness

noun

See curious defined for English-language learners

See curious defined for kids

curious was our Word of the Day on 05/07/2011. Hear the podcast!

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

Within minutes, dozens of curious alligators float over.

— dewayne bevil, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Dean of gator wrestling closes Gatorland career," 20 Aug. 2017
The human figure and the whimsical, curious world as seen through a child’s eye.

— pacific, Pacific San Diego Magazine, "State of the art: What inspires creation," 28 July 2017
Upon returning the bicycles, the curious can visit the nearby Central Florida Railroad Museum, a former train depot built in 1913, to learn more about Florida’s railways.

— tara bradley connell, Orlando Signature, "Showing off our Hometown," 28 July 2017
Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson addressed the curious crowd that assembled to learn more about the project.

— tribune news service, AL.com, "Starbucks to close all Teavana stores following disappointing sales," 27 July 2017
For example, this year has brought a curious surge in the number of Bangladeshis arriving in Italy.

— The Economist, "Unwelcome choicesItaly is facing a surge of migration across the Mediterranean," 20 July 2017
Cruise ships, commercial flights and tour operators are all taking curious Americans to Cuba.

— lori rackl, chicagotribune.com, "Spend a ‘Weekend in Havana’ with new PBS special," 17 July 2017
Anyone creative can’t help but be curious about film.

— janelle okwodu, Vogue, "Casting Director Daniel Peddle Challenges the Notion of “Two Americas” With His New Movie," 17 July 2017
Reporters and curious residents streamed to the scene within the hour.

— david ovalle and joey flechas, miamiherald, "After 20 years, the spectacle of the Versace murder still intrigues and baffles," 14 July 2017

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

curious Synonyms

Synonyms

inquisitive, nosy (or nosey), prying, snoopy

Antonyms

incurious, uncurious

Related Words

interfering, intrusive, meddlesome, meddling, obtrusive, officious; inquisitional, inquisitorial, interrogative, questioning, quizzical; concerned, interested

Near Antonyms

apathetic, disinterested, indifferent, unconcerned, uninterested

Synonym Discussion of 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.