mesmerized

[ mez-muh-rahyzd, mes ]
See synonyms for mesmerized on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. in a hypnotic or trancelike state; hypnotized: “I could create the odor of any kind of fruit and make a mesmerized person taste and smell it,” wrote 19th-century psychic Phineas Quimby.

  2. having the attention completely absorbed; fascinated, captivated, or spellbound: At our first annual poetry slam, 28 students wielded their verbal prowess in front of a mesmerized audience of over 300.

verb
  1. the simple past tense and past participle of mesmerize.

Origin of mesmerized

1
First recorded in 1825–35; mesmerize + -ed2 for the adjective senses; mesmerize + -ed1 for the verb sense
  • Also especially British, mes·mer·ised .

Other words from mesmerized

  • un·mes·mer·ized, adjective

Words Nearby mesmerized

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

How to use mesmerized in a sentence

  • Davy Lannarck, who had spent his adult life in facing the public, now knew that he had 'em mesmerized.

    David Lannarck, Midget | George S. Harney
  • Both men and women were completely absorbed in his story, they seemed to be mesmerized by the earnestness of his manner.

  • When a girl she was easily mesmerized and always took everything that was going, diseases and all.

    Around Old Bethany | Robert Lee Berry
  • Yasmini made her little mistake that minute in believing King was utterly mesmerized at last and utterly in her power.

  • mesmerized subjects do not see the objects or people in the room, or hear any noise whatever except the voice of the operator.