curiosity

cu·ri·os·ity (kyo̵or′ē äs′ə tē)

noun pl. -·ties

a desire to learn or know
a desire to learn about things that do not properly concern one; inquisitiveness
anything curious, strange, rare, or novel
Obsolete the quality of being careful, scrupulous, or fastidious

Etymology: ME curiousite < OFr curiosité < L curiositas < curiosus: see curious

Desire to know
interest, concern, regard, inquiring mind, inquiringness, inquisitiveness, mental acquisitiveness, thirst for knowledge, a questing mind, questioning, searching, eagerness to find out, disposition to inquire, inclination to ask questions, interest in learning, scientific interest, healthy curiosity.
A tendency to snoop
meddlesomeness, intrusiveness, officiousness, meddling, prying, voyeurism, nosiness*, snoopiness*.
An unusual object
exoticism, rarity, oddity, marvel; see wonder 2.

Converse of object

arouse: Violet's curiosity now aroused, things were to get even stranger.
pique: I wanted a name that would pique the curiosity of my perspective audience.
awaken: He hadn't been there in years, but the old memory had awakened a curiosity, he felt pulled in that direction.
excite: This condition will surely excite the curiosity of our structural engineers.
satisfy: Simply to satisfy the intellectual curiosity of the members of one sentient species at the expense of the lives of others?
stimulate: Religion can help to give meaning to life for many and we aim to stimulate the curiosity of our students with regard to religion.

Converse of subject

drive: For me, this project was mostly driven by academic curiosity.

Adjective modifier

morbid: Each new piece of film fed our morbid curiosity, our deep rooted desire to see what actually happened.
insatiable: Not a pebble of the ground, to the foliage of the highest branches, escapes the insatiable curiosity of this vigilant settler.
idle: Why should our family calamity be made the topic of idle curiosity?
innate: Jack and Chandra have taught her many combat and technical skills, with her innate curiosity filling in the gaps.
intellectual: Simply to satisfy the intellectual curiosity of the members of one sentient species at the expense of the lives of others?
mere: The view here is that the " aware " researcher invests more than mere intellectual curiosity into the subject of his or her research.

Modifies a noun

seeker: The wharves of Brooklyn, and every part of New York bordering the East River, were crowded with curiosity seekers.
shop: Browse the familiar High Street stores mingled with more unusual curiosity shops.

Noun used with modifier

burning: Too many sites rely on visitors ' burning curiosity to explore and figure it out.

Possessives

sake: I shewed him the letter, and he advised me to accede to her request, if only for curiosity's sake.

Possessives

reader: There should be enough material here to merit all readers ' curiosity!

Preposition: of

wit: For peradventure this stirring cometh more of a natural curiosity of wit, than of any calling of grace.
age: Also new this year are nine new products designed to address the developmental needs and curiosity of busy toddlers ages 18 to 36 months.

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