fascinate

verb

fas·​ci·​nate ˈfa-sə-ˌnāt 

fascinated; fascinating ˈfa-sə-ˌnā-tiŋ 

ˈfas-ˌnā-tiŋ

transitive verb

1

a

: to command the interest of : allure

was fascinated by carnivals

The kids were fascinated with their new toy.

b

: to transfix (see transfix sense 1) and hold spellbound by an irresistible power

believed that the serpent could fascinate its prey

2

obsolete : bewitch

intransitive verb

: to be irresistibly attractive

the novel's flamboyant cover fascinates

Synonyms

• allure
• beguile
• bewitch
• captivate
• charm
• enchant
• kill
• magnetize
• wile
• witch [archaic]

Choose the Right Synonym for fascinate

attract, allure, charm, captivate, fascinate, enchant mean to draw another by exerting a powerful influence.

attract applies to any degree or kind of ability to exert influence over another.

students attracted by the school's locale

allure implies an enticing by what is fair, pleasing, or seductive.

an alluring smile

charm implies the power of casting a spell over the person or thing affected and so compelling a response

charmed by their hospitality

, but it may, like captivate, suggest no more than evoking delight or admiration.

her performances captivated audiences

fascinate suggests a magical influence and tends to stress the ineffectiveness of attempts to resist.

a story that continues to fascinate children

enchant is perhaps the strongest of these terms in stressing the appeal of the agent and the degree of delight evoked in the subject.

hopelessly enchanted by her beauty

Examples of fascinate in a Sentence

a question that fascinates both biologists and anthropologists

Her paintings never fail to fascinate.

Recent Examples on the Web

The bear — maybe fascinated by flying soot or maybe out of pure cussedness — had taken a fiendish delight in batting lengths of stovepipe around. —Ted Updike, Outdoor Life, 22 May 2025

Written by Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong, the first-ever inside account of the Supreme Court fascinated her. —Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 22 May 2025

Fahy is a lot of fun playing against recent type as a blue-collar woman who has zero interest in the glamorous, opulent world that so fascinates her sister. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 22 May 2025

For the past few years science journalist Rowan Jacobsen has been fascinated by the effect of light on our bodies. —Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin fascinatus, past participle of fascinare, from fascinum evil spell

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1b

Rhymes for fascinate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Kids Definition

fascinate

verb

fas·​ci·​nate ˈfas-ᵊn-ˌāt 

fascinated; fascinating

1

: to grip the attention of especially so as to take away the power to move, act, or think for oneself

the belief that serpents can fascinate their prey

2

: to cause (someone) to be very interested in something or someone

fascination

ˌfas-ᵊn-ˈā-shən

noun

fascinator

ˈfas-ᵊn-ˌāt-ər

noun