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enthralling
adjective
present participle of the transitive verb enthral (US English = enthrall)

- capturing and holding one's attention; fascinating

(Oxford Dictionary)

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Enthralling is an adjective that means exciting or fascinating, as well the present participle of the transitive verb enthral meaning to captivate or hold someone spellbound.

In Middle English enthrallen meant "to hold in thrall." "Thrall" then, as now, meant "bondage" or "slavery"; it comes from an Old Norse word, "thraell," which is probably related to an Old High German word for servant.

In the 16th century, the first known figurative use of "enthral" appeared in the following advice, translated from a Latin text by Thomas Newton: "A man should not . . . enthral his credit and honour to harlots." But we rarely use even this sense of mental or moral enslavement anymore.

Today the word is often used in the participle form (enthralled) and present participle form (enthralling), which sometimes means "temporarily spellbound" ("we listened, enthralled, to the old woman's oral history"), but more often suggests a state of being generally captivated, delighted, or taken by some particular thing.

(adapted from the Merriam Webster Dictionary)

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SYNONYMS

absorbing, captivating, consuming, engrossing, exciting, interesting, fascinating, gripping, riveting

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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation

"I have travelled to New York many times but still find it very enthralling."