fascinates

verb

present tense third-person singular of fascinate
1
as in entices
to attract or delight as if by magic for years the zoo's family of giant pandas have fascinated visitors

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in enchants
to hold the attention of as if by a spell I can gaze at the sea for hours, fascinated by the never-ending waves crashing upon the shore

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in intrigues
to hold the attention of the subject of artificial intelligence fascinates me

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fascinates Meanwhile, what fascinates aspiring neurologist Makenzie Stovall is the idea that AI is trying to emulate the brain — an organ whose inner workings continue to leave researchers dumbfounded. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026 But the skillful way in which they are woven together belies the efforts that went into telling this story, and Lovely Reader, this dedication to quality fascinates me. — Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 There is something magical about a firefly that fascinates young and old alike. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 6 June 2026 There is something about the play Harvey that fascinates me, especially for right now. — Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026 Part of what fascinates and frustrates as regards Ginsberg is that for all of those thick anthologies, propriety forces me to concede that many of the poems simply aren’t that good. — Literary Hub, 3 June 2026 What fascinates me about these campaigns is that most begin with a fundamentally understandable misunderstanding. — John Shallman, Oc Register, 3 June 2026 At the moment, Philadelphia fascinates me most, a Play-In team that has enough talent to make a run to the finals. — Chris Branch, New York Times, 4 May 2026 Precious artifacts have been recently unearthed from the site that fascinates scholars worldwide. — Sharon Chin, CBS News, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fascinates
  1. entices
  2. enchants
  3. intrigues
  4. captivates
  5. thrills
  6. interests
  7. delights
  8. mesmerizes
Verb
  • The main sticking point is Real Madrid’s failure to offer something that entices both City and the player, whose contract expires at the Etihad on June 30, 2027.
    — Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Guadalupe River State Park entices visitors with its cool waters for tubing, paddling, and swimming and family-friendly campgrounds.
    — Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 16 July 2026
Definition of entices
Verb
  • Allegheny National Forest, just around 90 minutes from Erie, Pennsylvania, enchants with rolling peaks that reflect off calm, paddle-friendly waterways.
    — Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 7 June 2026
  • Ella has shades of Holly Hunter's intense, workaholic producer Jane from Brooks' 1987 masterpiece Broadcast News, the smartest person in any room who both exhausts and enchants everyone around her.
    — Esther Zuckerman, Time, 12 Dec. 2025
Definition of enchants
Verb
  • If this topic intrigues you, join us at the free, online Work on Purpose Summit on July 30, 2026.
    — Laurel Donnellan, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • That’s what intrigues them about coming to work for a large company that’s constantly evolving.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 8 June 2026
Definition of intrigues
Verb
  • Celebrated for its genteel Scandinavian minimalism, the brand embraces a deliberate and elevated design philosophy that captivates with its uniqueness.
    — Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The Hitchcockian plot captivates from the get-go as a sort-of writer talks to someone off camera about his obsession for shadowing strangers.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 July 2026
Definition of captivates
Verb
  • Railing against a new crop of progressive candidates has emerged as a more animating focus for a president who thrills to a fight.
    — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 5 July 2026
  • Her strict economy, honed by her early years of writing and endlessly revising (under the exacting eye of Allene Talmey) tight captions for Vogue, thrills the editor in me.
    — Zinzi Clemmons, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
Definition of thrills
Verb
  • That distance—the difficulty of truly making contact with another person from the limits of the self—interests me as a writer.
    — Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026
  • What interests me is this idea of hybridity—where human infrastructure and natural systems become entangled.
    — Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of interests
Verb
  • Tartine is fittingly tucked inside a former funeral home chapel, where breakfast delights such as golden pastries, fresh breads and fruity jams are heaven on Earth.
    — Carrie Bell, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The recipe continues to be the creative constant for a cake that still delights guests 90 years on.
    — Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of delights
Verb
  • Everyone on stage mesmerizes, yet Christopher Nell as The Boy, a barrel of laughs and an acrobat, nonetheless steals the show.
    — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
  • During halftime, the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band mesmerizes the crowd with its military precision and complex formations.
    — Kristen Tribe, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2025
Definition of mesmerizes

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fascinated
fascinates
fascinating
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Cite this Entry

“Fascinates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fascinates. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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