Entertaining
adj.joyful, thoughtfuleveryday
What it means
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.
Choose between these
7- playful
a crowd-pleaser
when broad popular appeal is the point
not when The phrase can imply safe formula and says little about individual quality.
- everyday
when humor and mild laughter are central
not when Amusing usually raises a smile, while entertainment must hold attention.
- everyday
when the participant's pleasure should be stated broadly
not when Enjoyable says less about an audience being actively held.
- warm
when pleasant interest matters more than overt fun
not when Engaging work can be serious, demanding, or emotionally difficult.
- warm
when clever verbal humor creates the appeal
not when Wit is only one route to entertainment and can exclude visual or dramatic pleasure.
- formal
when light interest offers a pleasant break
not when Diverting sounds faint and may suggest the work is merely a distraction.
- literary
when attention is powerfully absorbed
not when Captivating overstates a pleasant show that never becomes mesmerizing.
Said against
4- boring
- tedious
- dull
- wearisome
It naturally appears in
3- 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.
The word family
1Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English adjective, adjective sense meaning amusing or enjoyable opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.