as in appeal
the power of irresistible attraction
by some mysterious method of captivation, the therapist is able to evoke a response from even the shiest of children
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Recent Examples of captivation
Ultimately, Fonda opened up to dating Turner, and their relationship became a point of captivation for the media, as the liberal Hollywood star and the conservative, audacious businessman appeared to be total opposites.
—
Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Wembanyama’s captivation with the intricacies of space travel was apparent.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Wembanyama’s captivation with the intricacies of space travel was apparent.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captivation
Noun
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Los Angeles appears poised to lose in its attempt to keep $100 million in state grant funding for transportation projects in some of the neediest neighborhoods after a state commission declined to hear the city’s appeal for an extension.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
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The area, a working-class and largely white part of Greater Manchester, is a top target for Farage’s party, but Burnham sought to turn back the tide, relying on his unique appeal as the region’s popular mayor.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
Noun
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Using a Beatles motif, the English drew on their reserves of cultural capital to boost the country’s attractiveness at a time when the country’s citizens have an acute sense of losing their place in the world.—
Simon Chadwick,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
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By the time of The Social Reckoning, a website that was once used to rate the attractiveness of women has gone on to disrupt global politics on a frightening scale.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 June 2026
Noun
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My work is driven by a fascination with atmosphere, emotion, and the quiet beauty hidden in everyday life—the kind of moments most people pass by without noticing.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 June 2026
-
For Hoyos Padilla, that journey began with a fascination for sharks.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
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The elegant staging tries to compensate, but the performers have to rely a little too heavily on their own charms to make up the difference in a play that swerves unexpectedly at the end into a cutesy fairy tale.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
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Solid acacia wood brings rustic charm to the mountable shelf, contrasted by a glossy steel rack to stock hand towels and maintain a polished look.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
18 June 2026
Noun
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Other types of attractions include shows, character meet-and-greets, climbing structures and wet and dry play areas.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
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The backstory Loews Hotels & Co opened Loews Chicago Hotel in 2015, setting their eyes on the Streeterville neighborhood for its unique position between the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, and its proximity to downtown’s best attractions.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 June 2026
Noun
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Their easy, hedonic seductiveness emerges, too, via Yuskavage’s lush, rounded, fleshy brushstrokes (a different sort of stroke material, for the patriarchy or for anyone else), which render everything from boobs to bellies to nipples smooth and swollen, like a succulent fruit fixing to burst.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
23 May 2026
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Their frustration is apparent in a letter Langston Hughes wrote to fellow Harlem Renaissance writer Arna Bontemps, complaining about the seductiveness of Hollywood.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The short ribs — best eaten by hand — are a little chewy and fatty (in the best way) with a savory and subtly sticky sweetness.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
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Hand-rolled with tobaccos grown higher than 3,500 feet above sea level on Plasencia’s Finca San Julián in Condega, the cigar has a café con crema aroma and medium-plus flavors of grass and leather, accented by a natural sweetness locked into the higher-elevation leaves.—
Richard Carleton Hacker,
Robb Report,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captivation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captivation. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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