captivate

[ kap-tuh-veyt ]
See synonyms for: captivatecaptivatedcaptivatescaptivating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),cap·ti·vat·ed, cap·ti·vat·ing.
  1. to attract and hold the attention or interest of, as by beauty or excellence; enchant: Her blue eyes and red hair captivated him.

  2. Obsolete. to capture; subjugate.

Origin of captivate

1
First recorded in 1520–30; from Late Latin captīvātus (past participle of captīvāre “to take captive”), equivalent to Latin captīv(us) captive + -ātus -ate1

Other words for captivate

Other words from captivate

  • cap·ti·va·tion [kap-tuh-vey-shuhn], /ˌkæp təˈveɪ ʃən/, noun
  • cap·ti·va·tive, adjective
  • cap·ti·va·tor, noun
  • un·cap·ti·vat·ed, adjective
  • un·cap·ti·va·tive, adjective

Words Nearby captivate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use captivate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for captivate

captivate

/ (ˈkæptɪˌveɪt) /


verb(tr)
  1. to hold the attention of by fascinating; enchant

  2. an obsolete word for capture

Origin of captivate

1
C16: from Late Latin captivāre, from captīvus captive

Derived forms of captivate

  • captivatingly, adverb
  • captivation, noun
  • captivator, noun

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