curious Definition
cu·ri·ous (kyo̵or′ē əs)
adjective cu·ri·ous·er
- eager to learn or know
- unnecessarily inquisitive; prying
- arousing attention or interest because unusual or strange; odd
- Rare highly detailed, as in workmanship; elaborate
- Obsolete fastidious
Etymology: ME < OFr curios < L curiosus, careful, diligent, curious; akin to cura, care: see cure
curious Related Forms
cu′·ri·ously adverb
cu′·ri·ous·ness noun
curious Synonyms
curious
modif.
Strange
Interested
inquiring, questioning, prying; see inquisitive, interested 1, meddlesome. See syn. study at inquisitive.
curious Usage Examples
Modifying Another Word
- intellectually: Welcome to a vibrant and intellectually curious and innovative student body.
- insatiably: The journal archives are a veritable font of information, and the glossary of terms is excellent; a must for the insatiably curious.
- terminally: But if you're really terminally curious, you can check out Section C.6.1
- naturally: Jackie, Greece Students are naturally curious about swear words.
- rather: It is rather curious that there's that piece of the United States, Alaska, tucked up in the top left hand corner.
- endlessly: I am also endlessly curious, which helps in any job, and I love words.
Infinitive complement
- know: Curious to know what happened to some of the others.
- observe: Under these circumstances I was curious to observe how far from the parent rock any pebbles could be found.
- see: I'm already curious to see how she'll fit into British repertory.
- hear: I am curious to hear different theories or interpretations.
- discover: I listened to episodes 3 and 4, curious to discover how it would all tie up but it didn't.
- find: I'm just curious to find out where the nicest car my family has ever owned has got to!
Modifies a noun
- coincidence: Either the body fell from the roof, or a very curious coincidence has occurred.
- incident: Let's see... Sleeping The sleeping wasn't all that notable, but there was a curious incident around about getting up time.
- onlooker: The performer earned a great deal of applause from the curious onlookers.
- mixture: We'll be following a bridleway through a curious mixture of pasture, woodland and heath.
- paradox: It is a curious paradox that this Rambo figure, this all-American hero, was the stereotype which these young revolutionaries had adopted.
- anomaly: How else can one account for this curious anomaly?
Used with adjective complement

