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curious people
fascinated people
interested people
concerned people
a curious situation
a peculiar situation
an intriguing situation
a mysterious situation
a fascinating situation
an interesting situation
a curious mixture
an unusual mixture
a strange mixture
a surprising mixture
a clever mixture
a bizarre mixture
a curious look
a peculiar look
a puzzled look
a suspicious look
an uncertain look
curious onlookers
nosy onlookers
enthralled onlookers
anxious onlookers
eager onlookers
inquisitive onlookers

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective curious contrast with its synonyms?

The words inquisitive and prying are common synonyms of curious. While all three words mean "interested in what is not one's personal or proper concern," curious, a neutral term, basically connotes an active desire to learn or to know.

children are curious about everything

When could inquisitive be used to replace curious?

The words inquisitive and curious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, inquisitive suggests impertinent and habitual curiosity and persistent quizzing.

dreaded the visits of their inquisitive relatives

When is prying a more appropriate choice than curious?

The synonyms prying and curious are sometimes interchangeable, but prying implies busy meddling and officiousness.

prying neighbors who refuse to mind their own business

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of curious Get curious about all the things that turn you on and maximize those. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 5 Aug. 2025 But researchers say the animals are curious and can remember things. Saleen Martin, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2025 Instead, the window into the transformation has come via photo wires, which have documented the garden’s gradual—and often curious—metamorphosis. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 3 Aug. 2025 At $55, this is boundary-pushing whisky for the curious drinker who wants something beyond the usual suspects. Hudson Lindenberger, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for curious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for curious
Adjective
  • High performers are inquisitive, push back when needed, and act with intention.
    Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
  • Straightforward passages turn into figurative reflections and allusive pathways….No poet is more mercurial while frank, more understated while exacting, or more enlightened while inquisitive.
    Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • At the campaign’s first big canvassing event in mid-December, primary field director Tascha Van Auken noticed something strange happening.
    Mark Chiusano, Time, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Death Valley’s Racetrack Playa is home to some very strange rocks.
    Andrew Paul Aug 14, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Travelers are increasingly experimenting with unusual or risky foods, leading to health issues.
    Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025
  • Preparation for the construction of an expressway connecting two towns in southwestern Poland has revealed the remains of an ancient and unusual settlement, officials said.
    Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Benjamin Poff, assistant professor of audio engineering technology, said most of his students also play in bands and are interested in learning about how to protect their hearing.
    Beth Warren, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Manchester City were interested in signing Luiz on loan in January, as reported by The Athletic at the time, but Juventus’ preference was either to offload the midfielder with a sale or a loan with an obligation to buy and a deal never materialised.
    David Ornstein, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The indictment of Adams’ former top advisor came a day after another member of Adams’ inner circle became embroiled in a bizarre apparent bribery attempt involving a news reporter.
    Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
  • This descriptor originated from internet memes about bizarre scenarios happening in the state of Ohio.
    Mia Thurow, jsonline.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Mind you, such numbers aren’t uncommon when a new artistic director takes over.
    David Lyman, The Enquirer, 7 Aug. 2025
  • In the United States and other high-income countries, such infections are uncommon.
    Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Charlie Brown has evolved into something nicer In those days, Charles M. Schulz’s comic and its characters were meaner, the humor darker (and, frankly, funnier).
    Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 11 Aug. 2025
  • Adam Johnson, The Orphan Master’s Son Set in contemporary North Korea, this epic, harrowing, and darkly funny novel follows a man caught in a totalitarian machine.
    Mark Nevins, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • As well as artifacts that mutate into weirder, more powerful weapons.
    Curtis Silver, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Two-tone paint job and that weird hump of a trunk, remember?
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Curious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/curious. Accessed 24 Aug. 2025.

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