Definition of INTERESTING

The Pronunciation and History of Interesting

There are a number of ways to say interesting. It can have three syllables or four; it can have an accent only on the first syllable, or it can also have a secondary accent on the "res"; the first "e" can get ignored, resulting in a second syllable of "tres" rhyming with dress; or the second "e" can be ignored, resulting in a syllable that sounds like terse. All of these various pronunciations are well-established and occur in the speech of educated, native speakers of English.

The word interesting originally meant "of concern"; it was a synonym of important. It comes from the verb interest, which in its original use meant "to induce or persuade to participate or engage." If you were interested in something, you were not willing to be a bystander; you felt the need to participate or engage.

Examples of interesting in a Sentence

This is one of the most interesting books I've read all year. It will be interesting to see how she decides to spend the money. This building has an interesting history. I don't find politics very interesting. I found it interesting to learn that she had once lived in California. Most of what he said wasn't interesting to me.

Recent Examples on the Web Experimental findings Subsequent experiments performed on study bass housed in controlled environments have produced some interesting results. — Matt Williams, Dallas News, "Largemouth bass research hits a snag," 15 Feb. 2020 But don't panic because Lazaro, along with two other Filipino pop-up restaurant owners, plans to continue hosting Kamayan feasts at interesting locations throughout the Valley. — Nicole Ludden, azcentral, "This chef is bringing Instagram-worthy Filipino pop-up feasts to metro Phoenix," 15 Feb. 2020 Check out the story for how the estate got its interesting name. — Arlene Martinez, USA TODAY, "In California: Art Laboe talks radio; candidates weigh in on Native American issues," 14 Feb. 2020 But the network hasn’t spawned many interesting applications. — Gregory Barber, Wired, "This Social Network Wants to Pay You (in Crypto) to Do Good," 14 Feb. 2020 Crispy, chewy, crunchy, and tender — this colorful autumnal salad has a variety of textures to keep things interesting. — Jennifer Tyler Lee And Anisha Patel, NBC News, "Fall harvest mason jar salad with creamy seed dressing," 13 Feb. 2020 Fast & Casual Sweetfin, a Los Angeles chain in early on the poke tide, serves as an interesting case study on how and why poke took off. — Adam Skolnick, Longreads, "The Poke Paradox," 12 Feb. 2020 What came to be the most interesting discovery of my tenure as a fashion critic at The New York Times was how much subliminal voodoo is crammed into the semiotics of advertisements for major luxury brands. — Cintra Wilson, The New York Review of Books, "Waste Not, Shop Not," 11 Feb. 2020 Chocolate tahini chess pie is an interesting take on the Southern chess pie. — Liz Biro, Indianapolis Star, "The best dessert bars and chocolate shops in and around Indianapolis," 11 Feb. 2020

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