Intrigue Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

1 : to arouse the interest, desire, or curiosity of intrigued by the tale · 2 : cheat, trick · 3 : to get, make, or accomplish by secret scheming intrigued myself ... Login SignUp Hello, Games&Quizzes Thesaurus WordoftheDay Features BuyingGuide M-WBooks MyWordsMyWords ViewRecents Account LogOut intrigue noun SaveWord in·​trigue |\ˈin-ˌtrēg ,in-ˈtrēg\ EssentialMeaningofintrigue 1 :theactivityofmakingsecretplans anovelofintrigueandromanceanadministrationcharacterizedbyintrigueandcorruption 2 :asecretplan politicalintrigues FullDefinitionofintrigue (Entry1of2) 1a :thepracticeofengaginginsecretschemes b :asecretscheme:machination 2 :aclandestineloveaffair intrigue verb in·​trigue |\in-ˈtrēg \ intrigued;intriguing Definitionofintrigue (Entry2of2) transitiveverb 1 :toarousetheinterest,desire,orcuriosityof intriguedbythetale 2 :cheat,trick 3 :toget,make,oraccomplishbysecretscheming intriguedmyselfintotheclub 4 obsolete :entangle intransitiveverb :tocarryonanintrigue(seeintrigueentry1) especially :plot,scheme OtherWordsfromintrigue Synonyms ChoosetheRightSynonym MoreExampleSentences LearnMoreAboutintrigue OtherWordsfromintrigue Verb intriguer noun Synonymsforintrigue Synonyms:Noun conspiracy, design, machination, plot, scheme Synonyms:Verb collude, compass, connive, conspire, contrive, machinate, plot, putup, scheme VisittheThesaurusforMore  ChoosetheRightSynonymforintrigue Noun plot,intrigue,machination,conspiracy,cabalmeanaplansecretlydevisedtoaccomplishanevilortreacherousend.plotimpliescarefulforesightinplanningacomplexscheme. anassassinationplot intriguesuggestssecretunderhandedmaneuveringinanatmosphereofduplicity. backstairsintrigue machinationimpliesacontrivingofannoyances,injuries,orevilsbyindirectmeans. themachinationsofapartyboss conspiracyimpliesasecretagreementamongseveralpeopleusuallyinvolvingtreasonorgreattreachery. aconspiracytofixprices cabaltypicallyappliestopoliticalintrigueinvolvingpersonsofsomeeminence. acabalamongpowerfulsenators ExamplesofintrigueinaSentence Noun Rolston'sworkchannelsthevampishintrigueofvintageHollywoodwithasenseofironyandwitthatmakestheworktrulymodern. —StephanieSung,Picture,September/October2008 Inthis,asinanyotherenterprisewherethereisthepromiseofmoney,intriguesandliesandhoodwinkingandbullyingabound. —AliceMunro,"Hard-LuckStories," inIntheStacks, 2002 Thestorybegantotakeonawarm,attractiveglowasaHighlandromanticepicofheroismandvillainy,ofintrigueandbravery,completewithcomelymaidenssuchasFloraMacDonaldandhandsomeheroessuchasBonniePrinceCharliehimself. —ArthurHerman,HowtheScotsInventedtheModernWorld,2001 anovelofintrigueandromance anadministrationcharacterizedbyintrigueandcorruption Verb Onedayduringmathstudyperiod,afterI'dfinishedmyregularassignment,Itookoutafreshsheetofpaperandtriedtosolveaproblemthathadintriguedme:whetherthefirstplayerinagameofticktacktoecanalwayswin,giventherightstrategy. —MartinGardner,ScientificAmerican,August1998 Bundywasalsoamanwhosethinkinginforeignaffairswasextremelyconventional…butwhointheareaofdomesticpolicywascuriouslymoreopen-mindedandunconventional,sothatthroughouttheKennedyyears,friendswouldbeintriguedbythedifferenceinBundy. —DavidHalberstam,Harper's,July1969 evidencethattheleadingmanufacturershadintriguedtokeeppricesartificiallyhigh themysterystoryintriguedmesothatIreaditinonesitting SeeMore RecentExamplesontheWeb:Noun In1960sRome,anencounterbetweenagirlraisedinacarnivalandagirlfromarichhomeleadstointrigue,secretsandnewandunexpectedloves. — JacobSiegal,BGR,8Oct.2021 Thehistoryissteepedinintrigue,twistsandturns,andsurprises. — KevinDayhoff,baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll,4June2021 Toaddafinallayerofintriguetothisdeal,Trump’scompanyis(un)surprisinglyscarceonthedetailshere. — AnatAlon-beck,Forbes,23Oct.2021 Byplantingsuchseedsofintrigue,andmakingspaceforreflection,parkbenchesbecomeportalstothepast. — JonathanLee,NewYorkTimes,12Oct.2021 Theadditionofthedoctor’sstorylineaddsanotherlayerofintrigue,plussomegnarlyorgan-harvestingtoboot. — QuinciLegardye,Vulture,3Oct.2021 StoptuggingmytoesWithaguestlistthatincludesfiveUSpresidents,CarolBurnett,JohnWayne,andBobDylan,there’sbeenplentyofintrigueattheRedLionInn. — BostonGlobe.com,24Sep.2021 ThemysteriousdeathofMenka’sblood-brother,DuyolePitan-Payne—whocameofagewithMenkaduringthehopefulearlyyearsofindependence—tightensthewebofintrigue. — LosAngelesTimes,23Sep.2021 Mostoftheintrigueisthereandthat’swhatmakesMarchMadnesssoexcitingandfun. — EvanDudley,al,21Sep.2021 RecentExamplesontheWeb:Verb Howmuchofthefilmisactuallybasedinreality—includinganunexploredromancebetweenDianaandamemberofherinnercircle—issuretointrigueaudiencesandruffleroyalfeathers. — NBCNews,3Nov.2021 Thediscussionsinvolveacoustics,whichwillintriguemusicfans;Beethoven’spredominantuseofmajorkeys;andtheassemblage,forlackofabetterword,ofafinishedrecording. — JohnAnderson,WSJ,26Oct.2021 Kimmelmanisveryclearthatthisisn’taboutlimitingscientists’freedomtolookintotheideasthatintriguethem. — EricBoodman,STAT,20Oct.2021 Cuttinghairbegantointriguehimsincehewassurroundedbyit. — AZCentral.com,10Oct.2021 Hermysterious1937disappearanceduringaflightoverthePacificOceanhasneverformallybeensolved,andcontinuestointriguepeopletothisday.. — CaileyRizzo,Travel+Leisure,9Aug.2021 Hermysterious1937disappearanceduringaflightoverthePacificOceanhasneverformallybeensolved,andcontinuestointriguepeopletothisday.. — CaileyRizzo,Travel+Leisure,9Aug.2021 TheconferencealreadyhasUtahinSaltLakeCity,butBYUanditsnationalfollowingcouldintriguetheconference,althoughtheschool'sno-Sundaygamepolicyandcurrentindependentstatusinfootballcouldbedetriments. — JeremyCluff,TheArizonaRepublic,12Aug.2021 ThatpioneeringpotentialseemedtointriguetheBlazers. — ScottOstler,SanFranciscoChronicle,28June2021 Theseexamplesentencesareselectedautomaticallyfromvariousonlinenewssourcestoreflectcurrentusageoftheword'intrigue.'ViewsexpressedintheexamplesdonotrepresenttheopinionofMerriam-Websteroritseditors.Sendusfeedback. SeeMore FirstKnownUseofintrigue Noun 1609,inthemeaningdefinedatsense1bVerb 1612,inthemeaningdefinedattransitivesense2 HistoryandEtymologyforintrigue NounandVerb Frenchintricateaffair,fromItalianintrigo,fromintrigaretoentangle,fromLatinintricare—seeintricate LearnMoreAboutintrigue Shareintrigue PosttheDefinitionofintriguetoFacebook SharetheDefinitionofintrigueonTwitter TimeTravelerforintrigue Thefirstknownuseofintriguewas in1609 Seemorewordsfromthesameyear DictionaryEntriesNearintrigue intrigante intrigue intrigued SeeMoreNearbyEntries  Statisticsforintrigue LastUpdated 19Nov2021 Look-upPopularity CitethisEntry “Intrigue.”Merriam-Webster.comDictionary,Merriam-Webster,https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intrigue.Accessed20Nov.2021. Style:MLA MLA Chicago APA Merriam-Webster MoreDefinitionsforintrigue intrigue verb in·​trigue |\in-ˈtrēg \ intrigued;intriguing KidsDefinitionofintrigue (Entry1of2) 1 :toarousetheinterestorcuriosityof Themysteryintriguesme. 2 :plotentry2sense1,scheme Hisenemiesintriguedagainsthim. intrigue noun in·​trigue |\ˈin-ˌtrēg ,in-ˈtrēg\ KidsDefinitionofintrigue (Entry2of2) :asecretandcomplexplot MorefromMerriam-Websteronintrigue Nglish:TranslationofintrigueforSpanishSpeakers BritannicaEnglish:TranslationofintrigueforArabicSpeakers WORDOFTHEDAY trepidation SeeDefinitionsandExamples» GetWordoftheDaydailyemail! TestYourVocabulary DogWordsQuiz Whichofthefollowinganimalshasadoginitsetymology? canary eel hippo cat Canyouspellthese10commonlymisspelledwords? TAKETHEQUIZ SubscribetoAmerica'slargestdictionaryandgetthousandsmoredefinitionsandadvancedsearch—adfree! 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