captivate

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˈkæptɪˌveɪt/

📖 Definitions

  1. verb
    To attract and hold the attention, interest, or affection of someone; to charm or fascinate.; To take prisoner; to capture (archaic or literary usage).

🔗 Details

Word forms

3rd sing.: captivates Past: captivated Past part.: captivated Pres part.: captivating

Collocations

captivate the audiencecaptivate the imaginationcaptivate the heartcaptivate attentioncaptivate the mind

Derivatives

captivationcaptivatingcaptivatinglycaptivator

Synonyms

enchantcharmfascinateenthrallmesmerizebewitchspellbind

Antonyms

borerepeldisenchant

Commonly confused

capture
EN: 'Capture' means to physically seize or take hold of something, while 'captivate' means to charm or fascinate someone's mind or emotions.
captivating
EN: 'Captivating' is the adjective/participle form describing something that holds attention, while 'captivate' is the verb form denoting the action.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember that 'captivate' has only one 'p' and ends in '-ate', not '-ite'. It is related to 'captive' but adds the verb suffix '-ate'.

💬 Examples

  1. The magician's performance captivated the audience from start to finish.

  2. The invading army captivated the king and held him in a distant fortress.