intrigue
About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.
About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.1in·trigue
noun \ˈin-ˌtrēg, in-ˈ\Definition of INTRIGUE
1
a : a secret scheme : machination b : the practice of engaging in secret schemes
2
: a clandestine love affair
See Examples of INTRIGUE
- a novel of intrigue and romance
- an administration characterized by intrigue and corruption
- Rolston's work channels the vampish intrigue of vintage Hollywood with a sense of irony and wit that makes the work truly modern. —Stephanie Sung, Picture, September/October 2008
- In this, as in any other enterprise where there is the promise of money, intrigues and lies and hoodwinking and bullying abound. —Alice Munro, “Hard-Luck Stories,” in In the Stacks, 2002
- The story began to take on a warm, attractive glow as a Highland romantic epic of heroism and villainy, of intrigue and bravery, complete with comely maidens such as Flora MacDonald and handsome heroes such as Bonnie Prince Charlie himself. —Arthur Herman, How the Scots Invented the Modern World, 2001
- [+]more
Origin of INTRIGUE
French intricate affair, from Italian intrigo, from intrigare to entangle, from Latin intricare (see intricate)
First Known Use: 1609
Related to INTRIGUE
- Synonyms
- conspiracy, design, plot, machination, scheme
See Synonym Discussion at plot
Rhymes with INTRIGUE
2in·trigue
verb \in-ˈtrēg\in·triguedin·trigu·ing
Definition of INTRIGUE
transitive verb
2
: to get, make, or accomplish by secret scheming <intrigued myself into the club>
3
obsolete : entangle
4
: to arouse the interest, desire, or curiosity of <intrigued by the tale>
intransitive verb
Examples of INTRIGUE
- <evidence that the leading manufacturers had intrigued to keep prices artificially high>
- <the mystery story intrigued me so that I read it in one sitting>
- One day during math study period, after I'd finished my regular assignment, I took out a fresh sheet of paper and tried to solve a problem that had intrigued me: whether the first player in a game of ticktacktoe can always win, given the right strategy. —Martin Gardner, Scientific American, August 1998
- Bundy was also a man whose thinking in foreign affairs was extremely conventional… but who in the area of domestic policy was curiously more open-minded and unconventional, so that throughout the Kennedy years, friends would be intrigued by the difference in Bundy. —David Halberstam, Harper's, July 1969
- [+]more
Origin of INTRIGUE
(see 1intrigue)
First Known Use: 1612
Learn More About INTRIGUE
Browse
Next Word in the Dictionary: intriguing
Previous Word in the Dictionary: intrigante
All Words Near: intrigue
Previous Word in the Dictionary: intrigante
All Words Near: intrigue
Seen & Heard 
What made you want to look up intrigue? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
