Crossword Dictionary
FASCINATE
fascinate, transfix, grip, spellbind - v
to render motionless, as with a fixed stare or by arousing terror or awe; "The snake charmer fascinates the cobra"
Synonyms
animate, attract, beguile, bewitch, charm, delight, enamor, enchant, engage, engross, enrapture, enthrall, entice, excite, infatuate, intoxicate, intrigue, mesmerize, overwhelm, please, rivet, seduce, tantalize, tempt, thrill, titillate, transfix
Examples
Dating back more than 3000 years, the monument, a gift from the people of Egypt, is adorned with hieroglyphics and will fascinate visitors.
The two could dance the same routine - and often did - but fascinate the audience just with the ways differing bodies looked performing the same movement.
It was a scene brilliant enough to fascinate anyone, and the two eggs stood spellbound while their eyes feasted upon the unusual sight.
Etymology
1590s, "bewitch, enchant," from French fasciner (14c.), from Latin fascinatus, past participle of fascinare "bewitch, enchant, fascinate," from fascinus "a charm, enchantment, spell, witchcraft," which is of uncertain origin. Earliest used of witches and of serpents, who were said to be able to cast a spell by a look that rendered one unable to move or resist. Sense of "delight, attract and hold the attention of" is first recorded 1815.