intrigue

CEFRC1

/ˈɪntɹiːɡ/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To make someone very interested and curious.

  2. 02

    noun

    A secret plan or plot to achieve something.

Examples

  • He watches for an opportunity to intrigue against his rival.

  • Foreign people intrigue me.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
1

Also pronounced

  • /ɪnˈtɹiːɡ/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. Clandestine intercourse between persons; illicit intimacy; a liaison or affair.

  2. The plot of a play, poem or romance; the series of complications in which a writer involves their imaginary characters.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. A complicated or clandestine plot or scheme intended to affect some purpose by secret artifice; conspiracy; stratagem.

More examples

In context

  • […] lost in such a jungle of intrigues, pettifoggings, treacheries, diplomacies domestic and foreign […]

  • I often used to smile at a young Ensign of the Guards, who always popped [pawned] his sword and watch when he wanted cash for an intrigue; […]

  • Scenic illusions such as those caused by the haze, or the apparent diminution of scale where everything was enormous, intrigued Dutton.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The mysterious old map will blank the explorers with its hidden symbols.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

Borrowed from French intrigue, from Italian intricare, from Latin intrīcō (“to entangle, perplex, embarrass”). Doublet of intricate.