Holding attention by being enjoyable, amusing, or pleasantly interesting.
Reach for it when praising something for giving an audience an engaging good time
The lecturer's entertaining detours always returned to the central evidence.
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| warm | |
| formal | |
| literary |
playful
a crowd-pleaser
Fits when broad popular appeal is the point
Careful The phrase can imply safe formula and says little about individual quality.
everyday
Fits when humor and mild laughter are central
Careful Amusing usually raises a smile, while entertainment must hold attention.
everyday
Fits when the participant's pleasure should be stated broadly
Careful Enjoyable says less about an audience being actively held.
warm
Fits when pleasant interest matters more than overt fun
Careful Engaging work can be serious, demanding, or emotionally difficult.
warm
Fits when clever verbal humor creates the appeal
Careful Wit is only one route to entertainment and can exclude visual or dramatic pleasure.
formal
Fits when light interest offers a pleasant break
Careful Diverting sounds faint and may suggest the work is merely a distraction.
literary
Fits when attention is powerfully absorbed
Careful Captivating overstates a pleasant show that never becomes mesmerizing.
highly entertaining
The improvised trial scene was highly entertaining and unexpectedly informative.
entertaining story
Her entertaining story gave every minor character a memorable motive.
entertaining evening
The fundraiser became an entertaining evening rather than a string of speeches.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Neskaya, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated
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