mesmerize
verb
Arnold Plotnick
Did you know?
Experts can’t agree on whether Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) was a quack or a genius, but all concede that the Swabian physician's name is the source of the word mesmerize. In his day, Mesmer was the toast of Paris, where he enjoyed the support of notables including Queen Marie Antoinette. He treated patients with therapeutic procedures (called, appropriately enough, mesmerism) involving what he claimed was a mysterious force termed animal magnetism. (Many believe that mesmerism was what we now call hypnotism). Accordingly, the verb mesmerize was first used to mean "to subject to mesmerism" before broadening to be synonymous with hypnotize, and later to mean "to amaze or captivate."
Examples of mesmerize in a Sentence
Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 4 May 2025
Or the 55-year-old Fazil Say, of Turkey, a mesmerizing pianist in his own right and spinner of cinematic musical adventures?
—Air Mail, 3 May 2025
Not only was the storyline intriguing, but the fashion was mesmerizing, and the perfect inspiration for summer travel clothes.
—Rylee Johnston, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2025
This year, the starry event is back on the first Monday in May, and celebrities are beginning to turn towards New York City for the evening of mesmerizing fashion.
—Christina Liao, Vogue, 19 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Mesmerize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mesmerize. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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mesmerize
transitive verb
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