Definition

1. Noun:
   • The power or quality of being extremely interesting, attractive, or captivating: The capacity to attract and hold intense interest or attention.
   • A feeling of powerful attraction, great liking, or wonder towards something: A state of being intensely interested, charmed, or mesmerized, often by something unusual or awe-inspiring.
   • The state of being fascinated: The condition of having one's interest completely absorbed.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The fascination of ancient history lies in its mysteries. (The captivating quality of ancient history is found in its mysteries.)
  • She watched the stars with a sense of fascination. (She observed the stars with a feeling of powerful attraction and wonder.)
  • His fascination with robotics began in childhood. (His state of intense interest in robotics started when he was a child.)

Advanced Usage

• "Hold a fascination for someone": To be a source of intense interest for a person.

  • The desert holds a particular fascination for geologists. (The desert is a source of particular intense interest for geologists.)

• "In fascination": Used to describe being in a state of captivated observation.

  • The crowd watched in fascination as the artist created a sculpture from ice. (The crowd watched in a state of captivated observation as the artist created a sculpture from ice.)

Variants and Related Words

• Fascinate (verb): To attract and hold the interest and attention of someone powerfully.
  • The documentary fascinated viewers with its deep-sea discoveries.
• Fascinating (adjective): Extremely interesting or charming.
  • She gave a fascinating lecture on artificial intelligence.

Synonyms

• Allure: The quality of being powerfully and mysteriously attractive or fascinating.
• Captivation: The state of having one's attention completely held.
• Enchantment: A feeling of great pleasure or delight, as if under a spell.

Related Phrases

• Morbid fascination: An intense, often disturbing, interest in unpleasant or frightening subjects.
  • He had a morbid fascination with stories about natural disasters.

Noun

1. the capacity to attract intense interest
   • he held the children spellbound with magic tricks and other fascinations
2. a feeling of great liking for something wonderful and unusual
3. the state of being intensely interested (as by awe or terror)