interesting
- 01 A1 Beginner
keeping your attention because it is special, exciting, or worth knowing about.
arousing curiosity or holding the attention. This is a gradable adjective that can be modified by 'very' or 'extremely'.
Simple“I read an interesting article about space travel in the newspaper today.”
In context“The documentary provided an interesting perspective on urban development, though some critics argued it oversimplified the economic factors involved.”
UsageCommonly used with the preposition 'to' when indicating the person affected: 'It was interesting to me.'
PitfallI am very interesting in history. I am very interested in history.Use 'interesting' to describe the thing (the book is interesting). Use 'interested' to describe your feeling (I am interested).
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a word you use to react to something unusual, even if you do not like it.
used as a pragmatic marker to acknowledge a statement that is unusual, surprising, or mildly unpleasant without giving a direct opinion.
Simple“That is an interesting hat you are wearing today.”
In context“When the manager saw the chaotic first draft of the schedule, he simply remarked that it was an 'interesting' approach to time management.”
Teacher's tipIn British English, 'interesting' can be a 'polite' way to say you think something is strange or bad. Context and tone of voice are key to this meaning.
interesting vs interested — Interested describes the person who feels the emotion, while interesting describes the thing that causes the emotion.
Usage interesting academic · interesting thing · interesting to see
From interest + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.