as in fascinating
to hold the attention of as if by a spell
the tale about pirates and their buried treasure had completely spellbound the children
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in riveting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in enchantment
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spellbinding
Jody Rosen, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2022
Check out its first direct image of a gas giant exoplanet as well as a spellbinding view of the Phantom Galaxy.
—Ashley Strickland and Katie Hunt, CNN, 3 Sep. 2022
Todd Spangler, Variety, 5 Aug. 2025
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Show off the spellbinding aspects of these wickedly good drinks by serving the sippers in clear bowls and glassware.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spellbinding
Verb
To keep your eyes fixed on him throughout a match is both spellbinding and deadly dull.
—Jody Rosen, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2022
Check out its first direct image of a gas giant exoplanet as well as a spellbinding view of the Phantom Galaxy.
—Ashley Strickland and Katie Hunt, CNN, 3 Sep. 2022
Adjective
Hearing these spellbinding performances in our state-of-the-art studios has been nothing short of extraordinary.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 5 Aug. 2025
Noun
The show’s production value remains (mostly) quite good, and a few of the performances are spellbinding.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Show off the spellbinding aspects of these wickedly good drinks by serving the sippers in clear bowls and glassware.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spellbinding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spellbinding
Adjective
-
In addition, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Yungblud, and Nuno Bettencourt came together for a riveting tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne.—
Daysia Tolentino,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The next act was a lot less riveting.—
The Athletic MLB Staff,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Childhood is a time of enchantment, and a mother is a daughter’s first sorceress—omnipotent, enthralling, sometimes alarmingly so.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Many modern and contemporary writers are drawn to the villanelle as a way to circle around their subject matter, exploring obsession, enchantment, brooding, or the slow work of untangling a difficult emotion.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
19 Aug. 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
-
For a generation whose existence is mostly, if not entirely, lived through devices, peering through the hypnotic glow of their phone screens at a picture-in-picture playback of the events unfolding in front of them is an extension, or even an evolution, of the experience.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The film is a mess, opaque in its argument and tiring in its effortful weirdness, and yet in its best moments has a hypnotic pull.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Her work, then, is the work of resuscitation via bewitchment.—
Ocean Vuong,
New Yorker,
19 Apr. 2025
-
But if there is some kind of bewitchment going on in these encounters, Evelyn is entirely immune.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
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
Adjective
-
Childhood is a time of enchantment, and a mother is a daughter’s first sorceress—omnipotent, enthralling, sometimes alarmingly so.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The sequence, which leads to an enthralling chase through the mean streets of New York, features a memorable freestyle between David and the young artist who could have been his disciple.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
There is a quality of trance, of autohypnosis, in her style.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
19 Jan. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Spellbinding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spellbinding. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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