captivating

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈkæptɪˌveɪtɪŋ/ UK /ˈkæptɪˌveɪtɪŋ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
capable of attracting and holding interest; charming

Her captivating performance held the audience spellbound.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · capable of attracting and... charming enchanting fascinating enthralling alluring bewitching engaging

Opposites

boring repellent dull tedious

Word family

Derived forms captivatingly

Related forms captivate captivation captive

Etymology

Present participle of captivate, from Late Latin captivāre ('to take captive'), from Latin capere ('to take, seize').

captivāre Latin capere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# captivating

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈkæptɪˌveɪtɪŋ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkæptɪˌveɪtɪŋ/

## Meanings
1. capable of attracting and holding interest; charming

## Examples
- Her captivating performance held the audience spellbound.

## Synonyms
- charming
- enchanting
- fascinating
- enthralling
- alluring
- bewitching
- engaging

## Antonyms
- boring
- repellent
- dull
- tedious

## Derived Forms
- captivatingly

## Related Forms
- captivate
- captivation
- captive

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: captivāre
- Root: capere

## Etymology
Present participle of captivate, from Late Latin captivāre ('to take captive'), from Latin capere ('to take, seize').

## AI Etymology
Captivating is the present participle of captivate, from Late Latin captivāre ('to take captive'), from Latin capere ('to take, seize'). The historical trail runs through Latin captivāre and Latin capere. In modern use it means capable of attracting and holding interest; charming. Derived formations include captivatingly; related forms include captivate, captivation, captive.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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