fascinating

adjective

fas·​ci·​nat·​ing ˈfa-sə-ˌnā-tiŋ 

ˈfas-ˌnā-tiŋ

: extremely interesting or charming : captivating

a fascinating documentary

gave a fascinating account of the expedition

fascinatingly

ˈfa-sə-ˌnā-tiŋ-lē 

ˈfas-ˌnā-tiŋ-

adverb

Synonyms of fascinating

• appealing
• charismatic
• attractive
• charming
• interesting
• enchanting
• seductive

Examples of fascinating in a Sentence

the fascinating cities and peoples of central Asia have been intriguing travelers at least since the time of Marco Polo

the fascinating—but dubious—legend that Pocahontas rescued John Smith from certain death

Recent Examples on the Web

Oren’s particular calibration across all aspects of her atmosphere, design, pacing, and performances make that movie an especially fascinating film to revisit, as the reading of it differs quite wildly each time. — Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026

One of my girls is a big fan of the movie, and the exhibit is fascinating. — Mike Avila, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Very few things in movies and television shows delight me as much as a mysterious character revealing his or her fascinating backstory through an extended monologue that is delivered while staring off into the unspecified middle distance. — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026

Any talk of changing the rules, salary cap or otherwise, to put reins on this kind of success would propagate underperformance and penalize this fascinating culture of constant improvement. — Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see fascinate

First Known Use

1618, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fascinating

• abdicating
• abrogating
• activating
• actuating
• advocating
• aggravating
• aggregating
• agitating
• allocating
• alternating
• animating
• annotating

Kids Definition

fascinating

adjective

fas·​ci·​nat·​ing

ˈfas-ə-ˌnāt-iŋ

: extremely interesting or charming

fascinatingly adverb