Definition of inquisitive
1 : given to examination or investigation
2 : inclined to ask questions; especially : inordinately or improperly curious about the affairs of others
inquisitively
adverbinquisitiveness
nounExplore Merriam-Webster
Examples of inquisitive in a Sentence
… but now, with the wanderings of the fleets and their inquisitive occupants producing words from all over, the English vocabulary was enhanced not merely by the usual suspects but by words from India and Turkey, Arabia and Malaya, Japan and the native peoples of North America … —Simon Winchester, The Meaning of Everything, 2003
It's partly because humans are naturally inquisitive and exploratory but also, and more significant, because we need the unknown, what historians of religion call “otherness,” to lend our lives significance. —David Nicholson-Lord, Nation, 6 Oct. 1997
Inquisitive eyes reveal the dingo's true nature—it's a hunter, from its cocked ears and powerful jaws to the white tip of its tail. —Mitch Reardon, Australian Geographic, July–September 1992
an inquisitive woman who tends to everybody's business but her own
Recent Examples of inquisitive from the Web
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For an inquisitive player, Green, a savvy and analytical baseball mind, is a font of information.
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Naturally inquisitive, Will does very well at math.
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Donald Barthelme is another master of that playful, deeply inquisitive form, with stories that always have the feeling of keen scalpel work.
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The 90-minute meeting was described as mostly collegial, sympathetic and inquisitive by those in attendance.
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The tone of the coverage and the conversation has been inquisitive and healthy skepticism, as opposed to, say, chest-thumpery.
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But there's a difference between rote repetition and an inquisitive repurposing.
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As humans begin to accept invitations to visit the aliens' home planet, one inquisitive cryptographer decides to decipher the book one of them left at a U.N. speech, titled To Serve Man.
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His goofy, inquisitive brand of humor felt a natural fit for Conan, and Holmes' strong presence online (his YouTube and CollegeHumor clips have earned millions of views) certainly can't have hurt.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inquisitive'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of inquisitive
see inquisition
Synonym Discussion of inquisitive
INQUISITIVE Defined for English Language Learners
inquisitive
playDefinition of inquisitive for English Language Learners
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: tending to ask questions : having a desire to know or learn more
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: asking too many questions about other people's lives
INQUISITIVE Defined for Kids
inquisitive
playDefinition of inquisitive for Students
1 : in search of information … there will be crowds of scientists and other inquisitive people … — Oliver Butterworth, The Enormous Egg
2 : overly curious
inquisitively
adverbLearn More about inquisitive
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for inquisitive Spanish Central: Translation of inquisitive Nglish: Translation of inquisitive for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of inquisitive for Arabic speakers
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