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
Marcia Dunn, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2026
Now, three books in, Rainey remains my alter ego, a riveting car-crash girl who keeps me up thinking at night.
—Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 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
In an especially riveting retro throwback, Artemis II shattered the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
—Marcia Dunn, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2026
Now, three books in, Rainey remains my alter ego, a riveting car-crash girl who keeps me up thinking at night.
—Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 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
-
Time will tell, but at the very least this should be the most interesting season of baseball at PNC Park in a long, long time.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Also interesting is that the characters have no faces, in keeping with Dakota art tradition, as is the background of ledger paper.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
From community trust to public safety, law enforcement leaders in Detroit are focusing on what comes next for policing.—
Elaine Rojas-Castillo,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Adding Blood Pressure Lowering Foods to Your Diet Add blood pressure-supporting foods slowly and intentionally to your diet, focusing on one meal or snack at a time, suggested Routhenstein.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Even anti-corruption television series have become hits with intriguing plots, punchy lines and superb acting.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The fit is the most intriguing piece of the puzzle.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Doing that might have forced a quicker resolution, by concentrating public attention.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Rather than trying to sustain the same volume of activity, ICEX has focused on preserving the actions most valued by companies and concentrating resources in markets seen as offering the highest industrial return.—
Emiliano de Pablos,
Variety,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The city is filled with fun activities, fascinating history and delicious food well worth hopping on a quick flight.—
Lauren Schuster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The 34-year-old Haim, a successful musician who with just four roles in five quick years has also established herself as one of our most fascinating actresses, plays this turn from cheerful bud to sanctimonious hater perfectly.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The world is more interesting — more engaging but also more wondrous — when thought and care for aesthetics is built into even the most mundane tasks and objects.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The flashbacks to Emma’s adolescence, which Borgli films with some curiosity, are far more engaging than the film’s depictions of the chatty Boston bourgeoisie, which exude self-satisfied certainty.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
These blue-absorbing pigments can sometimes cause people to see a red dot called Maxwell’s spot in the center of their vision.—
Nora Bradford,
Scientific American,
23 Mar. 2026
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On the right day, with enough time and space, the act of chopping, seasoning, and stirring can feel steady and absorbing.—
Michelle Beadle Holder,
SELF,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riveting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riveting. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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