Captivate
['kæptɪveɪt] or ['kæptɪvet]
Definition
(v. t.) To take prisoner; to capture; to subdue.
(v. t.) To acquire ascendancy over by reason of some art or attraction; to fascinate; to charm; as, Cleopatra captivated Antony; the orator captivated all hearts.
(p. a.) Taken prisoner; made captive; insnared; charmed.
Typed by Eddie
Synonyms and Synonymous
v. a. Charm, fascinate, enchant, bewitch, enamour, win, catch, lead captive, please highly.
Editor: Xenia
Synonyms and Antonyms
[See BEWITCH]
Inputed by Deborah
Definition
v.t. to charm: to engage the affections.—adj. Cap′tivāting having power to engage the affections.
Checker: Vernon
Unserious Contents or Definition
From Lat. caput, head, and Eng. vacate, or empty,—to empty the head. Note, Women who have captivated men.
Editor: Mervin
Examples
- Rawdon saw there was a manifest intention on Mrs. Bute's part to captivate him with Rebecca. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- And we all know that Wickham has every charm of person and address that can captivate a woman. Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.
- In consequence of which, I am always looking out for money to captivate. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Just the kind of girl I should suppose likely to captivate poor Edward. Jane Austen. Sense and Sensibility.
- He saw Heloise, and was captivated by her blooming youth, her beauty, and her charming disposition. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- Dorothea was altogether captivated by the wide embrace of this conception. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- Could there have been anything like her present disjointed volubility in the fascinations that had captivated him? Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- For never have I known Sophronia (who is not apt to take sudden likings) so attracted and so captivated as she is by--shall I once more? Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Think on the destruction of your captivated countryfolks (now among the wild Indians), which probably may follow, in resentment of your barbarity! Benjamin Franklin. Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin.
- This brought the storage battery at once into use as a practical, manufactured piece of apparatus; and the world was captivated with the idea. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- Was it a new circumstance for a man of first-rate abilities to be captivated by very inferior powers? Jane Austen. Emma.
- Nevertheless the simplicity of the view that each species was first produced within a single region captivates the mind. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- My dear,' said Mrs Lammle, always laughing in her most captivating way, 'the poor young fellow only says that he is stricken all of a heap. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- I never in my life,' he thought, 'saw anything so remarkable and so captivating as the lighting of those features! Charles Dickens. Hard Times.
- I could only sit down before my fire, biting the key of my carpet-bag, and think of the captivating, girlish, bright-eyed lovely Dora. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- All he said was so free from effort and spontaneous and was said with such a captivating gaiety that it was fascinating to hear him talk. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- They had begun to fail him before he entered the house, and they were quite overcome by the captivating manners of Mrs. Dashwood. Jane Austen. Sense and Sensibility.
- He is a man of attainments and of captivating manners. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- Now don't you be offended at what I'm a going to say,' observed Mrs. Mann, with captivating sweetness. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
Edited by Horace