as in interesting
holding the attention or provoking interest
a riveting explanation of light waves that fascinated the class
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in focusing
to fix (as one's attention) steadily toward a central objective
everyone riveted their eyes on the trick that the magician was performing on stage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of riveting
Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
And so a riveting five-Test series between England and India at the Oval just had to finish this way.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
The uneasy friendship and rivalry between two writers center this riveting story loosely inspired by Joan Didion and Eve Babitz.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 3 Aug. 2025
Why not capture the attention of your peers with a riveting celebrity backstory or share a fun fact from a new wellness book?
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for riveting
Adjective
Yet after a riveting first half of the premiere, too many slow-burn action and horror sequences all but arrest the development of the plot and characters until Episode 3.
—Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
And so a riveting five-Test series between England and India at the Oval just had to finish this way.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
The uneasy friendship and rivalry between two writers center this riveting story loosely inspired by Joan Didion and Eve Babitz.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 3 Aug. 2025
Why not capture the attention of your peers with a riveting celebrity backstory or share a fun fact from a new wellness book?
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for riveting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riveting
Adjective
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Aston’s Formula 1 Team has now teamed up with another distillery, Glenfiddich, on a new 16-year-old single malt that was aged in an interesting variety of casks.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
21 Aug. 2025
-
It’s been a really interesting couple of years for the unscripted industry.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
State government has been focusing on East Hartford in recent years because the administration of then-Mayor Mike Walsh advanced a series of high-profile, potentially transformative projects.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
11 Apr. 2025
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Pitchers As far as pitching goes, the thesis couldn’t be simpler — do our best to avoid any bias attached to surface stats (outputs) by instead focusing on underlying metrics (inputs).—
John Laghezza,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Cora did not announce who would be added to the rotation, though the Red Sox have some intriguing options in Kyle Harrison and Payton Tolle.—
Michael Hurley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
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This is an intriguing story that looks set to keep running.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This led to an explosion of technology development and, with funding concentrating on a smaller number of startups, set the playing field for 2025.—
Jeff Mahler,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
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Since the trial began, the Amazons have ventured out about three times a week to paste messages on both sides of the ramparts, but mostly concentrating on the intra-muros area near the courthouse.—
Catherine Porter,
New York Times,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The historical documents, photographs, and artifacts are fascinating.—
Marybeth Gasman,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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The discovery of this drug has a fascinating backstory.—
Dr. Sanjay Gupta,
CNN Money,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The key to an engaging opening is a hook – something counterintuitive, unusual, or mysterious that sets the scene by establishing the who, what, where, when, and why.—
Julie Kratz,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
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In the engaging trailer that continues the sinister tale of Vault-Tec, The Ghoul arrives in New Vegas alongside Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) and Dogmeat, trudging into the outskirts of New Vegas.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The front man Ben Schneider has followed meticulous world-building impulses, drawing more listeners with each album by nurturing an absorbing, cinematic sound.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
25 July 2025
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But walking sims ushered in a new wave of titles that saw the player moving through an environment, simply observing and absorbing.—
Lewis Gordon,
Vulture,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Riveting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riveting. Accessed 2 Sep. 2025.
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