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intriguing - 3 dictionary results

in⋅trigue

   [v. in-treeg; n. in-treeg, in-treeg]
verb, -trigued, -tri⋅guing, noun
–verb (used with object)
1. to arouse the curiosity or interest of by unusual, new, or otherwise fascinating or compelling qualities; appeal strongly to; captivate: The plan intrigues me, but I wonder if it will work.
2. to achieve or earn by appealing to another's curiosity, fancy, or interest: to intrigue one's way into another's notice.
3. to draw or capture: Her interest was intrigued by the strange symbol.
4. to accomplish or force by crafty plotting or underhand machinations.
5. Obsolete. to entangle.
6. Obsolete. to trick or cheat.
–verb (used without object)
7. to plot craftily or underhandedly.
8. to carry on a secret or illicit love affair.
–noun
9. the use of underhand machinations or deceitful stratagems.
10. such a machination or stratagem or a series of them; a plot or crafty dealing: political intrigues.
11. a secret or illicit love affair.
12. the series of complications forming the plot of a play.
Origin:
1640–50; < F intriguer < It intrigare < L intrīcāre to entangle; see intricate
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : intriguing
Spanish: intrigante, German: verblüffend, Japanese: 興味深い
View 30 other languages »
in·trigue     (ĭn'trēg', ĭn-trēg')  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
    1. A secret or underhand scheme; a plot.
    2. The practice of or involvement in such schemes.
  2. A clandestine love affair.

v.   (ĭn-trēg') in·trigued, in·trigu·ing, in·trigues

v.   intr.
To engage in secret or underhand schemes; plot.

v.   tr.
  1. To effect by secret scheming or plotting.
  2. To arouse the interest or curiosity of: Hibernation has long intrigued biologists.


[From French intriguer, to plot, from Italian intrigare, to plot, from Latin intrīcāre, to entangle; see intricate.]

in·trigu'er n., in'trigu'ing·ly adv.
Usage Note: The introduction of the verb intrigue to mean "to arouse the interest or curiosity of" was initially resisted by writers on usage as an unneeded French substitute for available English words such as interest, fascinate, or puzzle, but it now appears to be well established. Seventy-eight percent of the Usage Panel accepts it in the sentence The special-quota idea intrigues some legislators, who have asked a Washington think tank to evaluate it, whereas only 52 percent accepted it in a 1968 survey.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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intriguing

adjective
1. disturbingly provocative; "an intriguing smile" [syn: challenging] 
2. capable of arousing interest or curiosity; "our team came up with some most intriguing finds" 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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