FASCINATE Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'fascinate' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of fascinate are allure , attract , captivate , charm , and enchant . While all these words mean "to draw another by exerting a powerful influence," fascinate suggests a magical influence and tends to stress the ineffectiveness of attempts to resist. // a story that continues to fascinate children

Q: When could 'allure' be used to replace 'fascinate'?

The words allure and fascinate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, allure implies an enticing by what is fair, pleasing, or seductive. // an alluring smile

Q: When is 'attract' a more appropriate choice than 'fascinate'?

The meanings of attract and fascinate largely overlap; however, attract applies to any degree or kind of ability to exert influence over another. // students attracted by the school's locale

Q: How are the words 'charm' and 'captivate' related as synonyms of 'fascinate'?

Charm implies the power of casting a spell over the person or thing affected and so compelling a response, but it may, like captivate , suggest no more than evoking delight or admiration. // charmed by their hospitality // her performances captivated audiences

Q: When would 'enchant' be a good substitute for 'fascinate'?

While the synonyms enchant and fascinate are close in meaning, 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

fascinate

verb

ˈfa-sə-ˌnāt

Definition of fascinate next

as in to entice

to attract or delight as if by magic for years the zoo's family of giant pandas have fascinated visitors

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to enchant

to hold the attention of as if by a spell I can gaze at the sea for hours, fascinated by the never-ending waves crashing upon the shore

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to interest

to hold the attention of the subject of artificial intelligence fascinates me

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fascinate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of fascinate are allure, attract, captivate, charm, and enchant. While all these words mean "to draw another by exerting a powerful influence," fascinate suggests a magical influence and tends to stress the ineffectiveness of attempts to resist.

a story that continues to fascinate children

When could allure be used to replace fascinate?

The words allure and fascinate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, allure implies an enticing by what is fair, pleasing, or seductive.

an alluring smile

When is attract a more appropriate choice than fascinate?

The meanings of attract and fascinate largely overlap; however, attract applies to any degree or kind of ability to exert influence over another.

students attracted by the school's locale

How are the words charm and captivate related as synonyms of fascinate?

Charm implies the power of casting a spell over the person or thing affected and so compelling a response, but it may, like captivate, suggest no more than evoking delight or admiration.

charmed by their hospitality

her performances captivated audiences

When would enchant be a good substitute for fascinate?

While the synonyms enchant and fascinate are close in meaning, 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 Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of fascinate O’Grady was fascinated by the rituals and pageantry of the services taking place at a nearby High Episcopal church, and the aesthetics of that religion would come to shape her artistic practice. —

News Desk, Artforum, 16 Dec. 2024 The man known as the Unabomber was fascinated by Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent. —

Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024 Pop culture has been fascinated with revisiting the music and fashion of the late ’90s and early 2000s for much of the past year. —

Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 6 Dec. 2024 Fishing for microbes For years, Irene Salinas has been fascinated by a simple physiological fact: The distance between the nose and the brain is quite small. —

Yasemin Saplakoglu, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fascinate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fascinate

Verb

Police said the doctor used job recruiting websites to offer potential victims high hourly pay to entice them into working for him.

Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024
To entice potential buyers, the suspect took videos of himself shooting the guns in East Palo Alto and San Jose, including open fields and a school campus, according to Shih.

Jason Green, The Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2024