enchant

verb

en·​chant in-ˈchant 

en-

enchanted; enchanting; enchants

transitive verb

1

: to influence by or as if by charms and incantation : bewitch

2

: to attract and move deeply : rouse to ecstatic admiration

… the scene enchanted her to the point of tears …

—Elinor Wylie

Synonyms of enchant

• fascinate
• charm
• entice
• delight
• captivate
• seduce

Choose the Right Synonym for enchant

attract, allure, charm, captivate, fascinate, enchant mean to draw another by exerting a powerful influence.

attract applies to any degree or kind of ability to exert influence over another.

students attracted by the school's locale

allure implies an enticing by what is fair, pleasing, or seductive.

an alluring smile

charm implies the power of casting a spell over the person or thing affected and so compelling a response,

charmed by their hospitality

but it may, like captivate, suggest no more than evoking delight or admiration.

her performances captivated audiences

fascinate suggests a magical influence and tends to stress the ineffectiveness of attempts to resist.

a story that continues to fascinate children

enchant is perhaps the strongest of these terms in stressing the appeal of the agent and the degree of delight evoked in the subject.

hopelessly enchanted by her beauty

Examples of enchant in a Sentence

The book has enchanted children for almost a century.

The beauty of the place enchants.

Recent Examples on the Web

My job as an entertainment journalist is to cover celebrities, not to be enchanted by them. —Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 16 Dec. 2025

Brownell recalls being enchanted by the electric chemistry between Thompson and Ha when shooting the heart-fluttering sequence. —Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Dec. 2025

Ella has shades of Holly Hunter's intense, workaholic producer Jane from Brooks' 1987 masterpiece Broadcast News, the smartest person in any room who both exhausts and enchants everyone around her. —Esther Zuckerman, Time, 12 Dec. 2025

The production and subsequent tours enchanted American audiences, firmly cementing the nutcracker as a Christmas star. —Vanessa Romo, NPR, 9 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French enchanter, from Latin incantare, from in- + cantare to sing — more at chant

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for enchant

• decant
• descant
• eggplant
• explant
• implant
• preplant
• recant
• replant
• secant
• supplant
• transplant
• ant

Kids Definition

enchant

verb

en·​chant in-ˈchant 

1

: to influence by charms and magic : bewitch

2

: thrill entry 1 sense 1, fascinate