fascination

noun fas·ci·na·tion \ ˌfa-sə-ˈnā-shən \

Definition of fascination

1 a :the quality or power of fascinating

b :something fascinating

2 :the state of being fascinated :the state of feeling an intense interest in something

Examples of fascination in a Sentence

the fascination that the subject of dinosaurs has for most children

Recent Examples of fascination from the Web

But favorability and fascination are not the same thing.

— yasmeen serhan, The Atlantic, "The Foreign Fascination With Trump's White House," 25 Aug. 2017
The kids pressed against the glass, issuing various expressions of disgust and fascination.

— katherine long, The Seattle Times, "Burke Museum will continue construction with loan from University of Washington," 7 Aug. 2017
The new film shows the former vice president doing his slide show throughout the world, and Gore’s presentation has lost none of its freshness and fascination.

— mick lasalle, kansascity, "In ‘An Inconvenient Sequel,’ Al Gore is back with some good news and some bad news," 3 Aug. 2017
Knoepfler's fascination with stem cells grew out of science, but his willingness to speak out started with a life-changing personal event.

— kelly servick, Science | AAAS, "The rise of unproven stem cell therapies turned this obscure scientist into an industry watchdog," 3 Aug. 2017
Much like his performance in The Gift, Bateman here leverages his sense of timing with an aloofness bordering on dickishness that sits him right in the sweet spot of audience fascination and simultaneous revulsion.

— corey atad, Esquire, "Netflix's Ozark Might Be Too Much Like Breaking Bad for Its Own Good," 24 July 2017
Viewer fascination clearly is building as the fantasy saga based on George R.R. Martin's books draws toward its end.

— Bloomberg.com, "‘Game of Thrones’ Debut Draws Record 10.1 Million Viewers," 19 July 2017
The photographs of hers that Maloof posted on Flickr in 2009 became an Internet sensation, and fascination with this mysterious, reclusive, camera-toting nanny, and an attendant cottage industry, were born.

— steve johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Hundreds of new Vivian Maier prints donated to U. of C.," 19 July 2017
Viewer fascination clearly is building as the fantasy saga based on George R.R. Martin’s books draws toward its end.

— lynn elber, The Seattle Times, "‘Game of Thrones’ debut draws record 10.1 million viewers," 18 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fascination.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of fascination

1605

fascination Synonyms

Synonyms

allure, animal magnetism, appeal, attractiveness, captivation, charisma, duende, enchantment, charm, force field, glamour (also glamor), magic, magnetism, oomph, pizzazz (or pizazz), seductiveness, witchery

Antonyms

repulsion, repulsiveness

Related Words

allurement, attraction, call, lure, seduction; agreeableness, darlingness, delightfulness, desirability, desirableness, niceness, pleasantness, pleasingness, sweetness; sex appeal

Near Antonyms

disagreeableness, distastefulness, obnoxiousness, offensiveness, unpleasantness

FASCINATION Defined for Kids

fascination

noun fas·ci·na·tion \ ˌfa-sə-ˈnā-shən \

Definition of fascination for Students

:a great interest in or attraction to something

Learn More about fascination

See words that rhyme with fascination Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fascination Spanish Central: Translation of fascination Nglish: Translation of fascination for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fascination for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fascination

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fascination

Definition of fascination

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fascination Synonyms

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FASCINATION Defined for Kids

fascination

Definition of fascination for Students

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