captivate Hear it!

captivate Definition

cap·ti·vate (kap′tə vāt′)

transitive verb -·vat′ed, -·vat′·ing

  1. Obsolete to take or hold captive
  2. to capture the attention or affection of, as by beauty, excellence, etc.; fascinate; charm

Etymology: < LL(Ec) captivatus, pp. of captivare, to take captive < L captivus: see captive

captivate Related Forms
cap′·ti·vat′·ingly adverb cap′·ti·va′·tion noun cap′·ti·va′·tor noun
captivate Synonyms

captivate

v.

delight, charm, enthrall; see entertain 1, fascinate. See syn. study at attract.

captivate Usage Examples

Object

  • audience: Just a Little Bit ' , captivated the audience.
  • imagination: Harry Potter has captivated the imagination of millions of children.
  • listener: Where the music captivated the listener, the theologically intricate lyrics communicated solid biblical truths.
  • viewer: A good portrait can project so much emotions and feelings and captivate the viewer.
  • crowd: Sir Elton John captivated a crowd of 17,500 at The St Lawrence Ground, home of Kent County Cricket Club, on Saturday evening.
  • million: Dan Brown's intriguing novel " The Da Vinci Code " has proved a must-read thriller, which has captivated millions around the globe.

Subject

  • beauty: They have an endless fascination for Stephen, and he is captivated by the natural beauty and strangeness of these objects.
  • story: And to my surprise I was so captivated by the story that I sat through the whole three hours, not once losing interest.
  • sound: I was captivated by the sound, really nutty music I thought.
  • idea: I was also captivated by the idea of a steel mesh stage with festoon lights under it.

Modifying Another Word

  • utterly: Thanks Our Shopping expert replies: Hi there, There is something utterly captivating about the idea of a garden swing seat.
  • instantly: Thirty years his junior, she was captivated instantly by his magnetism.
  • totally: Totally captivated by her beauty Caroline could have been speaking Chinese for all the notice I took.
  • immediately: The children were immediately captivated by our new software.
  • completely: Do you remember being completely captivated by the color?
  • absolutely: A young child absolutely captivated by the magic of Doctor Who.

Preposition: by

  • beauty: They have an endless fascination for Stephen, and he is captivated by the natural beauty and strangeness of these objects.
  • magic: A young child absolutely captivated by the magic of Doctor Who.
  • story: And to my surprise I was so captivated by the story that I sat through the whole three hours, not once losing interest.
  • sound: I was captivated by the sound, really nutty music I thought.
captivate Quotes

Car loi d'Amour est de l'un captiver, L'autre donner d'heureuse liberte¤  . The law of love is to captivate one, And to give another joyous freedom.

—Sce'  ve, Maurice