intrigue

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ɪnˈtriɡ/ UK /ɪnˈtriːɡ/ See IPA manual

noun verb

Meanings

1

noun
secret scheming or plotting; to arouse curiosity or interest

The court seethed with intrigue over the heir's succession.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · secret scheming or... scheme plot conspiracy machination fascinate captivate interest

Opposites

bore repel

Word family

Forms intriguedintrigues

Derived forms intriguingintriguerintriguingly

Related forms intricate

Etymology

From French intrigue, from Italian intrigo, from intrigare 'to plot, entangle', from Latin intricare 'to entangle'.

intrigue French intricare Latin

View etymology graph ->

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Actions & Processes

# intrigue

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** ɪnˈtriɡ
**IPA (UK):** ɪnˈtriːɡ

## Meanings
1. secret scheming or plotting; to arouse curiosity or interest

## Examples
- The court seethed with intrigue over the heir's succession.

## Synonyms
- scheme
- plot
- conspiracy
- machination
- fascinate
- captivate
- interest

## Antonyms
- bore
- repel

## Derived Forms
- intriguing
- intriguer
- intriguingly

## Related Forms
- intricate

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: intrigue
- Root: intricare

## Etymology
From French intrigue, from Italian intrigo, from intrigare 'to plot, entangle', from Latin intricare 'to entangle'.

## AI Etymology
intrigue comes from French intrigue, from Italian intrigo, from intrigare 'to plot, entangle', from Latin intricare 'to entangle'. The path is chiefly one of transmission: the word passes through the named languages and forms, with each stage preserving part of the modern shape. In present English, the noun sense is "secret scheming or plotting; to arouse curiosity or interest", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as intricate, and in derivatives such as intriguing, intriguer, and intriguingly. Its semantic neighborhood includes scheme, plot, conspiracy, and machination, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include French intrigue and Latin intricare.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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intrigue

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