mesmerizing · adj — exercising mesmerism on; spellbinding; enthralling. It carries an Arena rating of 1509, earned across 8 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, mesmerizing ranks #155 of 17,133 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #986 of 17,114 for Most Storied Words, #2,647 of 17,149 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #5,090 of 17,141 for Most Vivid Words.
Why “mesmerizing” is a great word
Having a captivating or spellbinding quality that holds one's complete attention, often in a mysterious or hypnotic way. From the name of Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815), the German physician who developed the theory of animal magnetism (mesmerism), + the suffix -izing (forming the present participle/adjective). The transferred sense of 'enthralling' is attested by 1862. Unlike 'interesting' (which arouses curiosity) or 'attractive' (which draws through pleasing qualities), 'mesmerizing' describes a power that bypasses choice entirely, a profound and involuntary captivation. It is the pendulum swing that becomes the whole of visible motion, the firelight that erases the room beyond its own circumference, or the slow turn of a dancer’s wrist that seems to pull time into orbit—the world narrowing to a single, unbroken thread of attention, where to look away feels like forgetting something essential.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
adj
- Exercising mesmerism on; spellbinding; enthralling.e.g.“a mesmerizing lava lamp”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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