intriguing

adjective

in·​trigu·​ing in-ˈtrē-giŋ How to pronounce intriguing (audio)
: engaging the interest to a marked degree : fascinating
an intriguing story

Examples of intriguing in a Sentence

The Huns are intriguing not only because of their notoriously hawkish history, but also because of their place as middlemen between Mongol and Turkic ethnicity. Victor L. Mote, Siberia, 1998
The next two phases of the Cambrian … mark the strangest, most important, and most intriguing of all episodes in the fossil record of animals—the short interval known as the Cambrian explosion … Stephen Jay Gould, Natural History, July/August 1998
The folklorist Jan Brunvand has documented hundreds of "urban legends," intriguing stories that everyone swears happened to a friend of a friend … and that circulate for years in nearly identical form in city after city, but that can never be documented as real events. Steven Pinker, The Language Instinct, 1994
The offer is very intriguing. an intriguing concept that should engender much debate among climatologists
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Leagues Cup action returns on Thursday with an intriguing showdown, as the MLS side LA Galaxy takes on Liga MX team Santos Laguna. Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025 For millennials who recognize Snow from cult-classic teen comedies like 2006’s John Tucker Must Die and the Pitch Perfect franchise, her starring role as the self-destructive Sophie in The Hunting Wives is simultaneously nostalgic and intriguing. Sam Reed, Glamour, 8 Aug. 2025 Nationally, the story will be mostly about Sanders, an intriguing figure once thought to be a sure first-round pick after starring for his father’s team at Colorado. Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 7 Aug. 2025 Watching screenings and talking with filmmakers over the first few days felt like sifting through an intriguing array of ambitious projects centered on Black life that few other festivals might recognize or encourage. Eric Deggans, NPR, 7 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for intriguing

Word History

Etymology

see intrigue entry 1

First Known Use

1752, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of intriguing was in 1752

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Intriguing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intriguing. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.

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