Inquisitively
What it means
With an eager, questioning wish to understand more.
Reach for it when describing curiosity that is attentive rather than intrusive
Oren examined the unfamiliar seed pod inquisitively before opening his field guide.
Words to choose between 5
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm |
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| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
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everyday
curiously
Fits when interest in discovering the answer is the main feeling
Careful Curiously can also mean strangely and may be ambiguous.
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everyday
questioningly
Fits when a look or tone silently asks for explanation
Careful Questioningly can signal doubt rather than eager learning.
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professional
attentively
Fits when careful listening or observation matters more than questions
Careful Attentively does not establish curiosity.
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formal
inquiringly
Fits when deliberate investigation suits the sentence
Careful Inquiringly is uncommon and may sound stiff.
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literary
wonderingly
Fits when awe and open surprise color the curiosity
Careful Wonderingly is too dreamy for systematic investigation.
Opposites 3
- indifferently
- incuriously
- dismissively
Common phrases 3
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look inquisitively
The child began to look inquisitively at the gears beneath the clock.
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ask inquisitively
She would ask inquisitively without interrupting the speaker's train of thought.
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peer inquisitively
Two fox cubs peer inquisitively from behind the fallen trunk.
Word family 2
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Updated