captivate
KAP-tih-veyt
/ˈkæptɪveɪt/
Attract and hold the interest and attention of; charm.
Implies holding someone's attention so completely that they feel almost like a willing prisoner to your charm.
The story behind the word. The word shares its origin with 'captive' and 'capture.' In Latin, captivare meant 'to take captive' in war. Over time, the word underwent a romantic shift: instead of physically locking someone in a dungeon, a charming person could 'take captive' another's mind and heart, leaving them happily imprisoned by affection.
Word relationships
- enthrall: Enthrall implies being held spellbound or enslaved by beauty or interest, closely matching captivate but with a slightly more passive state of the observer.
- fascinate: Fascinate suggests an intense, almost scientific or intellectual curiosity, whereas captivate is more emotional and charm-based.
- repel: To repel is to drive away or cause disgust, the opposite of attracting and holding attention.
- bore: To bore is to lose someone's interest entirely through dullness.
Commonly confused with
- capture: Capture is physical seizure or taking control by force; captivate is metaphorical capture through charm and interest.
Word family
- captivating (adjective): Capable of attracting and holding interest; charming.
- captivation (noun): The state of being captivated; charm.
Collocations
- captivate an audience
- utterly captivated
- captivate the imagination
Example sentences
- "I was captivated by her manners, and her amiable qualities." Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, describing Frankenstein's attraction to Elizabeth.
Memory hook
A captive is locked in a cage; when you captivate someone, you lock their attention in a cage of your charm. Captivate is to make a captive of the heart.
When not to use
Do not use for mild interest; it requires a deep, absorbing, and spellbinding attraction.
Fun facts
- In the 16th century, 'captivate' was still used to mean physically taking prisoners of war.
- The metaphorical sense of 'charming' did not become common until the mid-17th century.
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