enthralling

C2+ Topic:Mind & Cognition

US /ɛnˈθrɔlɪŋ/ UK /ɪnˈθrɔːlɪŋ/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
capturing and holding one's attention completely; fascinating

The documentary was so enthralling that nobody left their seats.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · capturing and holding one's... captivating fascinating engrossing grippingmesmerizingspellbindingriveting

Opposites

boring tedious dull tiresome

Word family

Related forms enthrall thrallenthrallment

Etymology

Present participle of enthrall, from en- (causative) + thrall, from Old English þrǣl ('slave, bondman'), from Old Norse þræll.

þrǣl Old English þræll Old Norse

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Mind & Cognition Word Formation & Derivatives

# enthralling

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

## Meanings
1. capturing and holding one's attention completely; fascinating

## Examples
- The documentary was so enthralling that nobody left their seats.

## Synonyms
- captivating
- fascinating
- engrossing
- gripping
- mesmerizing
- spellbinding
- riveting

## Antonyms
- boring
- tedious
- dull
- tiresome

## Related Forms
- enthrall
- thrall
- enthrallment

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: þrǣl
- Root: þræll

## Etymology
Present participle of enthrall, from en- (causative) + thrall, from Old English þrǣl ('slave, bondman'), from Old Norse þræll.

## AI Etymology
Enthralling is the present participle of enthrall, from en- (causative) + thrall, from Old English þrǣl ('slave, bondman'), from Old Norse þræll. Morphologically, the form is compositional, with the named elements combining to produce the modern spelling and sense. In present use, it is used as an adjective meaning "capturing and holding one's attention completely; fascinating", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes related forms such as enthrall, thrall, and enthrallment, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Old English þrǣl and Old Norse þræll, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. Its semantic neighborhood is marked by captivating, fascinating, engrossing, and gripping on one side and contrasts such as boring, tedious, and dull on the other, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- Mind & Cognition
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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