Synonyms of diverting

diverting 1 of 2

adjective

də-ˈvər-tiŋ 

as in amusing

providing amusement or enjoyment

some tall and diverting tales were told by the festival's roving storyteller

Synonyms & Similar Words

• amusing
• fun
• enjoyable
• entertaining
• delightful
• pleasurable
• exciting
• pleasant
• nice
• funny
• satisfying
• recreational
• beguiling
• humorous
• welcome
• merry
• ridiculous
• stimulating
• agreeable
• happy
• comical
• comic
• riotous
• hilarious
• ludicrous
• droll
• farcical
• thrilling
• laughable
• antic
• uproarious
• sunny
• jolly
• jovial
• gleeful
• jocose
• risible
• mirthful
• sidesplitting
• gay
• blithesome
• jocund

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• heavy
• boring
• uninteresting
• tedious
• tiresome
• wearisome
• weary
• pedestrian
• tiring
• flat
• monotonous
• dull
• drab
• humdrum
• leaden
• ponderous
• dreary
• stuffy
• stodgy
• wearying
• unpleasant
• unwelcome
• jading
• disagreeable
• distasteful
• uncongenial
• displeasing
• pleasureless
• unpleasing
• unlovely

diverting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of divert

1

as in entertaining

to cause (someone) to pass the time agreeably occupied

a light comedy to divert the tired business executive

Synonyms & Similar Words

• amusing
• entertaining
• regaling
• distracting
• occupying
• delighting
• appeasing
• interesting
• solacing
• involving
• disporting
• pleasing
• busying
• consoling
• engaging
• engrossing
• immersing
• captivating
• charming
• enchanting
• absorbing
• comforting
• intriguing
• humoring
• fascinating
• hypnotizing
• bewitching
• mesmerizing
• indulging
• contenting
• placating
• gratifying
• spoiling
• soothing
• pacifying
• beguiling
• gripping
• propitiating
• pleasuring
• pampering
• mollifying
• obliging
• conciliating
• coddling
• enthralling
• mollycoddling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• boring
• draining
• wearing
• exhausting
• tiring
• enervating
• wearying
• wearing out
• jading
• harassing
• fatiguing
• perturbing
• aggravating
• upsetting
• pestering
• disturbing
• bothering
• annoying
• harrying
• exasperating
• bugging
• vexing
• fretting
• grating
• galling
• chafing
• nettling
• piquing
• irking
• peeving

2

as in turning

to change the course or direction of (something)

the bike race was diverted around the construction zone

Synonyms & Similar Words

• turning
• swinging
• redirecting
• whipping
• deflecting
• shifting
• veering
• moving
• wheeling
• whirling
• shunting
• switching
• averting
• deviating
• transferring
• twisting
• sidetracking
• swiveling
• zigzagging
• rechanneling
• swerving
• curving
• reversing
• swaying
• bending
• turning back

3

as in distracting

to draw the attention or mind to something else

trying to divert the child with a toy while the doctor was giving her a shot

Synonyms & Similar Words

• distracting
• detracting
• abstracting
• throwing off
• amusing
• entertaining
• straying
• wandering
• calling off
• beguiling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• focusing
• concentrating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of diverting

Adjective

But you were also treated to a diverting and delightful narrative, rich with insider’s lore. — BostonGlobe.com, 26 July 2021

The plan also would call for constant testing of players and staff, which could mean diverting resources from public health care. — Nick Piecoro, azcentral, 6 Apr. 2020

Both popular and science media show an outsized fondness for brain imaging studies, inspiring much work more diverting than informative. — David Dobbs, WIRED, 4 July 2006

Verb

But arrest affidavits accuse the parents of diverting authorities away from the South Carolina waterways during the search. — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026

The grand jury said a criminal case would be difficult to prove because prominent witnesses did not name who was responsible for diverting the money. — Miami Herald, 1 Sep. 2026

El Niño’s warm ocean water alters the atmospheric circulation above, diverting storm tracks and changing patterns of floods, droughts and tropical storms around the globe. — Julia Cole, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026

This year alone, $5 billion in taxpayer funds will be siphoned away from public schools to prop up Florida’s unaccountable voucher program, diverting dollars from the more than 80% of children who attend public schools. — Andrew Spar, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026

All this scattershot world-building and world-visiting allows for some colorfully diverting vignettes, in which production designer Alexandra Walker and costume designer Ann Maskrey get to show off their giddy, gaudy wares. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026

Discovery merger as prolonged uncertainty runs the risk of diverting time and resources away from achieving these priorities. — Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2026

Still, diverting textiles from landfill does not necessarily make a system circular. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 18 Aug. 2026

Starting in early 2025, Salisbury oversaw the unprecedented reassignment of more than 6,000 agents to immigration enforcement, diverting most of the agency from its normal duties. — Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 14 Aug. 2026