curious
Use Curious in a sentence
i adjective
1.
eager to learn or know; inquisitive.
2.
prying; meddlesome.
3.
arousing or exciting speculation, interest, or attention through being inexplicable or highly unusual; odd; strange: a curious sort of person; a curious scene.
4.
Archaic.
a.
made or prepared skillfully.
b.
done with painstaking accuracy or attention to detail: a curious inquiry.
c.
careful; fastidious.
d.
marked by intricacy or subtlety.
Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English < Latin cūriōsus careful, inquisitive, equivalent to cūri- (combining form of cūra care) + -ōsus -ous. See cure
1275–1325; Middle English < Latin cūriōsus careful, inquisitive, equivalent to cūri- (combining form of cūra care) + -ōsus -ous. See cure
Related forms
cu·ri·ous·ly, adverb
cu·ri·ous·ness, noun
non·cu·ri·ous, adjective
non·cu·ri·ous·ly, adverb
non·cu·ri·ous·ness, noun
o·ver·cu·ri·ous, adjective
o·ver·cu·ri·ous·ly, adverb
o·ver·cu·ri·ous·ness, noun
su·per·cu·ri·ous, adjective
su·per·cu·ri·ous·ly, adverb
su·per·cu·ri·ous·ness, noun
un·cu·ri·ous, adjective
un·cu·ri·ous·ly, adverb
Synonyms
1. inquiring, interested. 2. spying, peeping. Curious, inquisitive, meddlesome, prying refer to taking an undue (and petty) interest in others' affairs. Curious implies a desire to know what is not properly one's concern: curious about a neighbor's habits. Inquisitive implies asking impertinent questions in an effort to satisfy curiosity: inquisitive about a neighbor's habits. Meddlesome implies thrusting oneself into and taking an active part in other people's affairs entirely unasked and unwelcomed: a meddlesome cousin who tries to run the affairs of a family. Prying implies a meddlesome and persistent inquiring into others' affairs: a prying reporter inquiring into the secrets of a business firm. 3. singular, novel, rare.
1. inquiring, interested. 2. spying, peeping. Curious, inquisitive, meddlesome, prying refer to taking an undue (and petty) interest in others' affairs. Curious implies a desire to know what is not properly one's concern: curious about a neighbor's habits. Inquisitive implies asking impertinent questions in an effort to satisfy curiosity: inquisitive about a neighbor's habits. Meddlesome implies thrusting oneself into and taking an active part in other people's affairs entirely unasked and unwelcomed: a meddlesome cousin who tries to run the affairs of a family. Prying implies a meddlesome and persistent inquiring into others' affairs: a prying reporter inquiring into the secrets of a business firm. 3. singular, novel, rare.
Antonyms
1, 2. indifferent.
1, 2. indifferent.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To curious
00:10
Curious
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
curious (ˈkjʊərɪəs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | eager to learn; inquisitive |
| 2. | overinquisitive; prying |
| 3. | interesting because of oddness or novelty; strange; unexpected |
| 4. | rare (of workmanship, etc) highly detailed, intricate, or subtle |
| 5. | obsolete fastidious or hard to please |
| [C14: from Latin cūriōsus taking pains over something, from cūra care] | |
| 'curiously | |
| —adv | |
| 'curiousness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
curious
mid-14c., "eager to know" (often in a bad sense), from L. curiosus "careful, diligent, curious," akin to cura "care." The objective sense of "exciting curiosity" is 1715. In booksellers' catalogues, the word means "erotic, pornographic." Curiouser and curiouser is from "Alice in Wonderland" (1865).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
Whether for career development or their own edification, the culinarily curious can gorge on all kinds of food knowledge online.
It is curious to recall some of the mental habits of those departed days.
Groups of the curious wandered among the tents, taking photographs.
But that's the end of a story with a curious beginning.
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