spellbound means under the influence of a magical spell; enchanted, bewitched, or supernaturally constrained. It carries an Arena rating of 1641, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, spellbound ranks #824 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,164 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,567 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #1,728 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words.
spellbound is pronounced /ˈspɛlˌbaʊnd/.
Why “spellbound” is a great word
Fascinated or entranced as if by a magical spell; completely captivated. From 'spell' (a spoken word or formula with magical power) and 'bound' (past participle of 'bind', meaning fastened or tied), first recorded in 1790–1800. Unlike 'interested,' which implies a general or mild curiosity, or 'charmed,' which suggests a pleasing delight, to be spellbound is to be held in a total, almost involuntary thrall. It is the audience breathless in the dark theatre, the child motionless before the weaving serpent, the traveler at the canyon's edge as the sun sets the stone on fire—each held in a silence so complete it resembles surrender, the self temporarily unmoored from its ordinary anchorage in time.
Etymology
From spell + bound.
adj
- Under the influence of a magical spell; enchanted, bewitched, or supernaturally constrained.
- Fascinated by something; entranced as if by a spell; captivated.e.g.“The story left the children spellbound.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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