as in fascinating
to hold the attention of as if by a spell
discovered that the children were mesmerized by a television show
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in hypnotic
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Recent Examples of mesmerizing
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Watching Sam be forced to grow up in yet another house — and one where adoption is already so fraught — is mesmerizing.
—Grace Byron, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
Max Schreck’s uncanny performance and makeup design were absolutely mesmerizing, as was the film’s unparalleled haunting atmosphere, made all the more palpable by the grainy 16mm transfer to VHS.
—Robert Eggers, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
This mesmerizing presentation of high divers is an ode to the human body in motion.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2025
Then the esteemed documentarian Errol Morris reflects on his relationship with Robert McNamara, the complicated subject of his mesmerizing film The Fog of War.
—Air Mail, 11 Oct. 2025
But Zub’s stretch pass to Pinto, leading to a game-tying goal in the second period, was just as mesmerizing.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Schoenbrun surrounded that message in a mesmerizing and haunting allegory, announcing themself as one of our most gifted contemporary filmmakers in the process.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
These collisions are what create the glowing ribbons of color that make auroras so mesmerizing to witness.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
Dejour Alexander has been mesmerizing audiences with his silky-smooth vocals and undeniable stage charisma since his early teens.
—Essence, 26 Sep. 2025
The hypnotic audio track that follows visitors throughout the maze is mesmerizing — just like Mesmer the hypnotist who preys on your inner thoughts and hidden fears.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
The shiny material took the outfit from simple to mesmerizing, making it a must-have top for holiday parties and office days.
—Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
Experience this mesmerizing odyssey from the Obie Award-winning company Wakka Wakka, international leaders in stretching the boundaries of theatrical imagination.
—Kirby Adams, Louisville Courier Journal, 15 Sep. 2025
The deep alpine lake straddling the state lines of California and Nevada needs no introduction—Lake Tahoe’s sparkling, cobalt blue waters and sweeping Sierra Nevada mountain views have been mesmerizing people for centuries.
—Christina Pérez, Vogue, 30 Aug. 2025
Tia Ray’s mesmerizing lower register and distinctive gritty vocal texture creates intense narrative drama with an undercurrent of danger.
—Billboard China, Billboard, 29 Aug. 2025
Skubal and Brown were mesmerizing in a game that featured an Octoberesque flair.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
In the meantime, the world awaits Michael Jordan’s first big TV moment since his mesmerizing turn in The Last Dance.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Watching Sam be forced to grow up in yet another house — and one where adoption is already so fraught — is mesmerizing.
—Grace Byron, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
Max Schreck’s uncanny performance and makeup design were absolutely mesmerizing, as was the film’s unparalleled haunting atmosphere, made all the more palpable by the grainy 16mm transfer to VHS.
—Robert Eggers, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
This mesmerizing presentation of high divers is an ode to the human body in motion.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2025
Then the esteemed documentarian Errol Morris reflects on his relationship with Robert McNamara, the complicated subject of his mesmerizing film The Fog of War.
—Air Mail, 11 Oct. 2025
But Zub’s stretch pass to Pinto, leading to a game-tying goal in the second period, was just as mesmerizing.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Schoenbrun surrounded that message in a mesmerizing and haunting allegory, announcing themself as one of our most gifted contemporary filmmakers in the process.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
These collisions are what create the glowing ribbons of color that make auroras so mesmerizing to witness.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
The stories, featuring interwoven poetry, are mesmerizing.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
Dejour Alexander has been mesmerizing audiences with his silky-smooth vocals and undeniable stage charisma since his early teens.
—Essence, 26 Sep. 2025
The hypnotic audio track that follows visitors throughout the maze is mesmerizing — just like Mesmer the hypnotist who preys on your inner thoughts and hidden fears.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
The shiny material took the outfit from simple to mesmerizing, making it a must-have top for holiday parties and office days.
—Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
Experience this mesmerizing odyssey from the Obie Award-winning company Wakka Wakka, international leaders in stretching the boundaries of theatrical imagination.
—Kirby Adams, Louisville Courier Journal, 15 Sep. 2025
The deep alpine lake straddling the state lines of California and Nevada needs no introduction—Lake Tahoe’s sparkling, cobalt blue waters and sweeping Sierra Nevada mountain views have been mesmerizing people for centuries.
—Christina Pérez, Vogue, 30 Aug. 2025
Tia Ray’s mesmerizing lower register and distinctive gritty vocal texture creates intense narrative drama with an undercurrent of danger.
—Billboard China, Billboard, 29 Aug. 2025
Skubal and Brown were mesmerizing in a game that featured an Octoberesque flair.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mesmerizing
Adjective
-
But as the microbes spread across the screen, the visual becomes almost hypnotic—and, as Peck recently told me, akin to how dictators overwhelm people’s abilities to determine fact from fiction.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Its Mudéjar architecture, a hypnotic blend of Islamic artistry and Christian tradition, never fails to captivate travelers.—
Nigel Hack,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Then the picture begins to blur before coming back into clear focus to reveal Novak, still enchanting at 92, standing in a room filled with her paintings.—
Jeremy Helligar,
People.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Samantha Eggar, the vivacious British actress whose five-year run starting in 1965 included enthralling performances in The Collector, Return From the Ashes, Doctor Dolittle and The Molly Maguires, has died.—
Chris Koseluk,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Operating every Friday at noon, the Rolling Bridge becomes an enthralling sight, drawing large crowds to witness its unfolding process over the Grand Union Canal.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The horror and action set pieces are riveting.—
Robert Eggers,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Filmmaker Charlie Shackleton was hot on the trail of the next great American true crime documentary — a riveting account of a highway patrolman’s quixotic effort to identify and capture the infamous Zodiac Killer.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The result is a collection of songs that are immediately engrossing and among the most affecting of Swift’s career, while also focusing on topics like Hamlet and suburban bliss.—
Jason Lipshutz,
Billboard,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Language’s ability both to reveal and to conceal is at the heart of this engrossing history of medieval encoded and encrypted manuscripts.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Its cypress-incense essence and its molten oud feel half-spiritual, half-seductive.—
Adam Hurly,
Robb Report,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Bar Italia rose out of the London rock underground with their own seductive guitar buzz, three criminally cool types at home in the dark.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Filling that hole would have been more alluring had dreamlike options like Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel decided to hit the market.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The strip of hair running from between his chest muscles down into his rough-leather pants was both sexy and repellant, alluring and indecent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Nobody Wants This is a tougher case because its leads, Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, are just so charming and many of its observations about love and family are just so spot-on that weaker elements can get lost in the froth.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Its charming space and drop-dead-gorgeous desserts have helped land the restaurant on the list more than 10 times.—
Rachel Bernhard,
jsonline.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mesmerizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mesmerizing. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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