Enthrall
What it means
To delight and hold someone's complete attention.
Reach for it when praising a performance or story with irresistible sustained appeal
The storyteller could enthrall listeners with one quiet sentence.
Words to choose between 6
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| warm | |
| professional | |
| literary |
-
playful
have them hooked
Fits when informal speech can stress continued attention
Careful The idiom is casual and can carry addiction associations.
-
everyday
Fits when curiosity and wonder are the main response
Careful Fascination may remain intellectual rather than delighted.
-
warm
Fits when charm or beauty holds attention
Careful Captivate is slightly gentler and can concern a brief first impression.
-
professional
absorb
Fits when concentration becomes complete
Careful Difficult work can absorb attention without providing delight.
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literary
Fits when attention seems trance-like
Careful Mesmerize can imply passivity and overstates ordinary engagement.
-
literary
spellbind
Fits when magical narrative power deserves vivid praise
Careful Spellbind is highly figurative and can sound melodramatic.
Opposites 4
- bore
- repel
- distract
- disenchant
Common phrases 3
-
enthrall an audience
The quiet puppetry managed to enthrall an audience of every age.
-
continue to enthrall
The century-old tale continues to enthrall new readers.
-
enthrall listeners
Her precise account enthralled listeners without exaggeration.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated