captivate

verb

ˈkap-tə-ˌvāt How to pronounce captivate (audio)
Definition of captivatenext
as in to fascinate
to attract or delight as if by magic the clown captivated the toddlers with his balloon tricks

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word captivate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of captivate are allure, attract, charm, enchant, and fascinate. While all these words mean "to draw another by exerting a powerful influence," charm implies the power of casting a spell over the person or thing affected and so compelling a response, but it may, like captivate, suggest no more than evoking delight or admiration.

charmed by their hospitality
her performances captivated audiences

When can allure be used instead of captivate?

In some situations, the words allure and captivate are roughly equivalent. However, allure implies an enticing by what is fair, pleasing, or seductive.

an alluring smile

When could attract be used to replace captivate?

The meanings of attract and captivate largely overlap; however, attract applies to any degree or kind of ability to exert influence over another.

students attracted by the school's locale

When would enchant be a good substitute for captivate?

While in some cases nearly identical to captivate, enchant is perhaps the strongest of these terms in stressing the appeal of the agent and the degree of delight evoked in the subject.

hopelessly enchanted by her beauty

When might fascinate be a better fit than captivate?

While the synonyms fascinate and captivate are close in meaning, fascinate suggests a magical influence and tends to stress the ineffectiveness of attempts to resist.

a story that continues to fascinate children

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of captivate Homer history The college game’s first brush with the outer limits of recognizable baseball came in 1998, the same year the pursuit of the MLB single-season home run record captivated the big leagues. —Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 30 May 2025 The story of brave British men and women defending the hillfort from the Roman Conquest is one that has captivated and inspired millions. —Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 27 May 2025 In a video that has captivated millions on social media, a 2-year-old border collie mix rescue wasted no time to bond with her new owner, who had just adopted her from a local shelter to give her the life she's always dreamed of. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025 But one thing's for sure: these moms continue to captivate. —Devonne Goode, Parents, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for captivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captivate
  1. fascinate
  2. entice
  3. enchant
  4. charm
  5. delight
  6. seduce
Verb
  • Do different cultures engage with Napoleon’s legacy differently? PJC: The Anglo-Saxons are fascinated by the romantic aspect of his period as an exile.
    — Anthony DeMarco, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
  • As for Mourinho, Greenhalgh was fascinated by his approach.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 31 May 2025
Definition of fascinate
Verb
  • The Navy also has spent considerably more than the others to entice sailors to reenlist, doling out retention bonuses to roughly 70,000 service members for each of the past three years.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 May 2025
  • Duffy recently announced a sweeping program to upgrade the agency's technology infrastructure, as well as hiring incentives to entice more would-be air traffic controllers.
    — Zach Wichter, USA Today, 23 May 2025
Definition of entice
Verb
  • The company’s video game mantra since its Nintendo Entertainment System days has been to show gaming and play as a medium full of possibilities, using world-building, competition and puzzles to enchant.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
  • The valley's waterfalls, trails, and mountain views continue to enchant even during the off-season.
    — Carlsen Jes, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2025
Definition of enchant
Verb
  • Moore's Michaela is mysterious, commanding, and beyond wealthy, described in the trailer and elsewhere as someone with the ability to charm into subservience.
    — Randall Colburn, EW.com, 22 May 2025
  • Viewers on TikTok were charmed by the emotional reunion.
    — Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
Definition of charm
Verb
  • Two decades later, the street anthem is once again delighting music fans, though through a relatively unlikely conduit: a TikTok meme about dating gaffes.
    — Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 29 May 2025
  • For as long as hungry birds have swooped from the saloon’s leafy branches to stalk diners’ steak fries, Le Tub, the kitschy-divey national treasure on Hollywood’s Intracoastal Waterway, has delighted and polarized locals with tacky decor and huge hamburgers.
    — Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 29 May 2025
Definition of delight
Verb
  • Going even further, its materiality, terra-cotta, and its iconography, the corazón, seduce us to discover an even more seductive identity, a cultural and historical foundation, mexicanidad.
    — Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
  • But prosecutors warned observers not to be seduced by soft appearances.
    — Thomas Adamson, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2025
Definition of seduce

Browse Nearby Words

captiousness
captivate
captivated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Captivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captivate. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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Nglish: Translation of captivate for Spanish Speakers

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