curious
- 01 B1 Intermediate
wanting to know or learn about something.
eager to know or learn something; possessing a desire for investigation or information.
Simple“The curious child asked her teacher why the sky was blue.”
In context“The researchers remained curious about the long-term effects of the treatment, leading them to extend the study for another five years.”
Usageoften followed by the preposition 'about' or an infinitive verb.
Teacher's tipWhile usually positive, it can occasionally imply being 'nosy' if the person is asking too many personal questions.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
strange, unusual, or unexpected.
arousing interest by being unusual, strange, or unexpected.
Simple“It was curious that the front door was open when I arrived home.”
In context“The detective found it curious that the witness remembered the exact time of the event but could not describe the suspect's clothing.”
Usageoften used in the phrase 'it is curious that...'
Teacher's tipIn this sense, the word describes the object or situation, not the person observing it.
Usage curious kids
“I encourage clients to get curious about it, rather than trying to fight it.”
“Fortunately, for journalists, researching questions we’re curious about is part of the job.”
From Middle English curious, from Old French curius, from Latin cūriōsus. The English word is cognate with Italian curioso, Occitan curios, Portuguese curioso, and Spanish curioso.
From curi(um) + -ous.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.