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

Working on the project has been very interesting: bringing the shapes and textiles we are known for into the context of down jackets and technical fastenings—a real crossover. — Luke Leitch, Vogue, "A Genius Development: The New Designers—And Dog—Joining Moncler’s Rapidly Expanding Megastructure," 1 Feb. 2019 Of course, neither Holmes nor Foxx had ever confirmed their relationship to begin with, so this firm denial was very interesting. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Literally Every Single Thing We Know About Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx's Relationship," 28 Jan. 2019 But even assuming that Mr. Pinker is correct about the past 10,000 years of human history, his idea leaves open some very interesting questions. — John Hawks, WSJ, "‘The Goodness Paradox’ Review: The Benefits of Good Breeding," 25 Jan. 2019 And just like that, things on Modern Family just got very interesting again. — Allie Gemmill, Teen Vogue, ""Modern Family" Revealed Major News for Sarah Hyland's Character Haley," 8 Nov. 2018 The swiftness of the agricultural revolution makes the interaction at Iron Gates all the more interesting. — Mark Barna, Discover Magazine, "When Farmers and Foragers First Met," 24 Oct. 2018 Either way, the fact that the writers are reviving a character referenced in the first is very interesting. — Taysha Murtaugh, Country Living, "'Top Gun: Maverick': Here's Everything We Know So Far About the Sequel," 26 July 2018 Artistically interesting and challenging work is almost always the exception to the rule, and even the best TV shows are often runaway trains behind the scenes, fraught with creative compromises and production issues. — Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "The 7 best TV shows of 2018," 26 Dec. 2018 Donahue keeps his eye out for new and interesting ornaments. — Robert Khederian, Town & Country, "How Newport's Gilded Age Mansions Are Decorated for Christmas," 13 Dec. 2018

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.