as in fascinates
to attract or delight as if by magic
the clown captivated the toddlers with his balloon tricks
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Recent Examples of captivates
Inspired by the tradition of the divine feminine, the energetic space captivates with colors, abstract wall art and a goddess sculpture done by the dynamic sister artist duo’s mother.
—
Spencer Whaley, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Actress and filmmaker Zoë Kravitz captivates as Yvonne in Darren Aronofsky’s (Black Swan, The Whale) latest homerun of a film, Caught Stealing.
—Malik Peay, Essence, 27 Aug. 2025
The division is separated by less than a week of games, and with all three teams making acquisitions to advance their cause, the final stretch of baseball in the American League West should be a race that captivates audiences as the division rivals duke it out.
—Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Aug. 2025
Spencer Whaley, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Actress and filmmaker Zoë Kravitz captivates as Yvonne in Darren Aronofsky’s (Black Swan, The Whale) latest homerun of a film, Caught Stealing.
—Malik Peay, Essence, 27 Aug. 2025
The division is separated by less than a week of games, and with all three teams making acquisitions to advance their cause, the final stretch of baseball in the American League West should be a race that captivates audiences as the division rivals duke it out.
—Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captivates
Verb
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Is there one that particularly fascinates you?—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
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With showy wine-red blossoms that perfume the garden with the distinctive aromas of chocolate and vanilla from mid-summer through fall, chocolate cosmos entices butterflies and curious gardeners alike.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
3 Oct. 2025
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The structure is illustrated below, with one player positioned on the byline and another level with the penalty area to form a triangle that entices opponents out to defend.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Everything about the scene seduces the viewer into what dining while traveling in the most luxurious fashion could be, and once was.—
Kristin L. Wolfe,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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In his youth, the blue-eyed Stamp was widely considered one of the most handsome men onscreen, and Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini used that to peculiar effect in Teorema (1968), casting the actor as a nameless and wordless visitor who seduces an entire household.—
Rhett Bartlett,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
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SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Vanessa Bates Ramirez,
Scientific American,
1 Oct. 2025
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His general advice to people attempting to craft humane, precise, and literate prose has scarcely aged, and his own bracing style still informs and delights.—
Ben Yagoda,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Captivates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captivates. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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