entertaining

adjective

en·​ter·​tain·​ing ˌen-tər-ˈtā-niŋ How to pronounce entertaining (audio)
ˌin-
Synonyms of entertainingnext
: providing entertainment : diverting
an entertaining book
an entertaining speaker
entertainingly adverb

Examples of entertaining in a Sentence

a list of entertaining things to do on a snow day
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Pure white kitchens may be a thing of the past as more designers incorporate organic shades rooted in nature like blue and green into the all-purpose gathering and entertaining space that is the modern kitchen. Felicia Feaster, AJC.com, 5 Feb. 2026 This gorgeous dish is Food Editor Alana Al-Hatlani's go-to dessert for entertaining. Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 5 Feb. 2026 Some authors of quasi-impossible books like Nabokov (Ada, or Ardor), Pynchon (Gravity’s Rainbow) and Wallace (Infinite Jest) nevertheless manage to write unfailingly entertaining sentences that never lose a certain vernacular crackle, and that are often funny. Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026 Carpenter gets several musical numbers, an obvious but entertaining love triangle with a sheepish Kermit and an incandescently jealous Miss Piggy, and plenty of opportunities for self-aware, PG-13 humor. Judy Berman, Time, 3 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for entertaining

Word History

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of entertaining was in 1582

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Cite this Entry

“Entertaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/entertaining. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

entertaining

adjective
en·​ter·​tain·​ing ˌen-tər-ˈtān-iŋ How to pronounce entertaining (audio)
: providing amusement, diversion, or recreation
an entertaining book
entertainingly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on entertaining

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