as in interesting
holding the attention or provoking interest
a riveting explanation of light waves that fascinated the class
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in focusing
to fix (as one's attention) steadily toward a central objective
everyone riveted their eyes on the trick that the magician was performing on stage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of riveting
Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026
And with his Tigers scuffling and the whole sport closely monitoring Skubal’s progress, this uncharted territory is equal parts riveting and consequential.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2026
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone wondering how to make each hour in their workday riveting for television viewers.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for riveting
Adjective
Scorsese cast frequent collaborator Robert De Niro as Max in 1991's Cape Fear, resulting in one of the actor's most riveting (and unsettling) performances.
—Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026
And with his Tigers scuffling and the whole sport closely monitoring Skubal’s progress, this uncharted territory is equal parts riveting and consequential.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Verb
Pomona native and Cal Poly grad who flew Navy F-18s successfully launches as pilot of NASA’s riveting Artemis II mission around the moon, the first such voyage since the Apollo program in 1972.
—Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2026
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone wondering how to make each hour in their workday riveting for television viewers.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for riveting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riveting
Adjective
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Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images The main card event promises to be an interesting fight.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
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That combination makes Norwegian Epic one of the more interesting mainstream cruise ships sailing in Europe.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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The deal with Showbox sees the two partners co-producing Korean-language shows, initially focusing on remakes of ReelShort’s existing content, then expanding into original IP.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
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By focusing on legacy component replication, the company aims to reduce dependency on fragile global supply chains and shorten repair timelines for aging defense systems.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
Adjective
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The back end of this position group is also intriguing.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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If Pearce attends mandatory minicamp, his integration into the locker room, as well as his involvement in the team’s practices, will be particularly intriguing as Stefanski tries setting his culture.—
Daniel Flick,
AJC.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Reyna’s goal was a perfect example of Pochettino’s insistence of concentrating on the team over individuals.—
James Robson,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
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The students who practiced concentrating also improved on standardized tests of sustained attention, including those that tested their reaction times or their ability to spot target symbols hidden in a grid.—
Supreet Kaur,
Scientific American,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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What is happening currently in biology and medicine—with biomedical research accelerating the understanding of disease and developing new drugs—is fascinating and will revolutionize the approach to human health.—
Rachel Nuwer,
Scientific American,
16 June 2026
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Victor Wembanyama is eligible for a four-year extension that would top $250 million, and there’s no reason the Spurs wouldn’t want to commit to keep the game’s most fascinating player around.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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According to general manager Magrino, the goal of Borgo Pignano Group is to contribute to a more sustainable and emotionally engaging vision of the city, enhancing its cultural fabric.—
Andrea Onate,
Footwear News,
16 June 2026
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However, competitive play also proved highly engaging for many players.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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The Best Books of the Year (So Far) Our editors and critics choose the most captivating, notable, brilliant, surprising, absorbing, weird, thought-provoking, and talked-about books.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
New Yorker,
17 June 2026
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Unlike standard contact lenses, these incorporate light-responsive or light-absorbing compounds into the lens material itself.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riveting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riveting. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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