English Lexicon

Captivate

/ˈkæp.tɪ.veɪt/
verbCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #4500 frequency
Full Thesaurus

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As verb
  1. 1

    To attract and hold the interest and attention of someone.

    "The magician's performance captivated the audience from start to finish."
  2. 2

    To charm or enchant someone, often in a way that is irresistible.

    "Her storytelling ability captivated the children, making them eager for more."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the Latin captivatus, past participle of captivare meaning 'to take captive', from captivus 'captive', ultimately stemming from capere 'to take'. Over centuries, the meaning shifted from the literal capture of prisoners of war to the metaphorical capturing of someone's attention, affection, or imagination.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Captivate"?

Thesaurus & Synonyms Graph

Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Captivate"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

View "Captivate" Synonym Map