Fascinate Meaning
/ˈfæsɪneɪt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo evoke an intense interest or attraction in someone.
verbTo make someone hold motionless; to spellbind.
Sentence Examples
Blood and violence fascinate them.
Slavic languages fascinate me.
His baboon story will fascinate and entertain you for sure.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The magician's tricks never fail to ____ the audience.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ancient ruins ____ travelers from all over the world who come to study their history.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Latin fascinātus, perfect passive participle of fascinō (“to enchant, bewitch, fascinate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from fascinum (“a phallus-shaped amulet worn around the neck in Ancient Rome; witchcraft”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), itself of obscure origin.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Leo, too, was strangely touched. Hitherto he had been fascinated against his better judgment, something as a bird is fascinated by a snake, but now I think that all this passed away, and he realised that he really loved this strange and glorious creature, as, alas! I loved her also."
— 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The magician's tricks never fail to ____ the audience.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ancient ruins ____ travelers from all over the world who come to study their history.