1
2
3

Try This Instead

For
Try This
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 Last week, Jennie Young, a professor at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay who specializes in rhetoric and gender studies, shared a curious email from Bumble’s support staff with her Instagram followers. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2025 Altman responded to a user on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, who was curious how much money OpenAI has lost in electricity costs from people showing good manners to their AI models. Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025 The shelter also comes with a soft cat bed and a unique door design to keep out curious intruders. Bestreviews, Mercury News, 21 Apr. 2025 Then there is the curious case of an unreleased snippet making its way into one of UFC fighter Payton Talbott’s YouTube vlogs which is significant because he and Ocean have been linked romantically since the singer posted Talbott on social media during Valentine’s Day. Angel Diaz, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for curious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for curious
Adjective
  • An inquisitive crowd was lined up down the Leonard Street sidewalk, where performers dressed in rose gold dresses welcomed guests into the annual Tribeca Ball.
    Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 16 Apr. 2025
  • In the coming years, across sectors, curious and inquisitive individuals who demonstrate strong learning agility, and an ability to fuse human and machine skills will become top talent.
    Amanda Kavanagh | This Column was created by Jobbio, The Hill, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The Bengals added Fairchild in the third, so adding another lineman while there were more pressing needs is strange, especially a raw lineman like Rivers.
    Mark Weinstein, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Moses’s book eddies around with the energy of someone reporting back from a very long and strange evening clicking through Wikipedia links, enjoying every chance to add a tangent.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But many don't realize there are lots of other, more unusual ways allergies can show up.
    Angela Haupt, Time, 2 May 2025
  • That’s not unusual, for people to send spritzes, but then the manager came out with a gift bag.
    Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 2 May 2025
Adjective
  • If a child is interested in trains or buses, that excitement might be worth the potential challenges.
    Nathan Diller, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Nature lovers might also be interested in participating in an educational turtle release experience, for a small donation to support local wildlife conservation efforts.
    Kimberley Mok, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Even more bizarre was the depth the starlight's dip changed with every transit.
    Victoria Corless, Space.com, 22 Apr. 2025
  • The gay man who was involved in Rep. Nancy Mace’s viral meltdown at an Ulta Beauty store is speaking out about the bizarre incident.
    Abby Monteil, Them., 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The eminence whom the film casts as the prime mover of benevolent governance is Nelson Rockefeller, a liberal Republican (the breed wasn’t uncommon then) who was the state’s governor from 1959 to 1973.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Loud noises in the night weren't uncommon—but this time was different.
    Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • What’s funny about that is that Alexander appears to have some Leonard Williams to his game.
    Charlotte Carroll, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Not lying and not funny, but not to be ignored either.
    Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • It’s been a weird year for some of the league’s best closers.
    Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
  • On the other hand, this three-month gap is a little weird.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Curious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/curious. Accessed 6 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on curious

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!