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intrigue

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Intrigue is defined as to do something that gets another person interested.

(verb)

An example of intrigue is a man and woman having a conversation at a bar that makes them want to know more about each other.

The definition of an intrigue is something that is done secretly through plotting.

(noun)

An example of intrigue is the story of two famous lovers played out in a gossip magazine.

See intrigue in Webster's New World College Dictionary

intransitive verb intrigued, intriguing

to carry on a secret love affair
to plot or scheme secretly or underhandedly

Origin: Fr intriguer < It intrigare < L intricare: see intricate

transitive verb

to bring on or get by secret or underhanded plotting
to excite the interest or curiosity of; fascinate: the puzzle intrigued her
Archaic to trick or perplex
Obsolete to entangle

noun

an intriguing; secret or underhanded plotting
a secret or underhanded plot or scheme; machination
a secret love affair

Related Forms:

intriguer noun

See intrigue in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

a. A secret or underhand scheme; a plot.
b. The practice of or involvement in such schemes.
A clandestine love affair.

verb (ĭn-trēgˈ) in·trigued, in·trigu·ing, in·trigues

verb, intransitive

To engage in secret or underhand schemes; plot.

verb, transitive

To effect by secret scheming or plotting.
To arouse the interest or curiosity of: Hibernation has long intrigued biologists.

Origin:

Origin: From French intriguer, to plot

Origin: , from Italian intrigare, to plot

Origin: , from Latin intrīcāre, to entangle; see intricate

Related Forms:

in·triguˈer noun

inˈtriguˌing·ly adverb

Usage Note: The introduction of the verb intrigue to mean “to arouse the interest or curiosity of” was initially resisted by writers on usage as an unneeded French substitute for available English words such as interest, fascinate, or puzzle, but it now appears to be well established. Seventy-eight percent of the Usage Panel accepts it in the sentence The special-quota idea intrigues some legislators, who have asked a Washington think tank to evaluate it, whereas only 52 percent accepted it in a 1968 survey.

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