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entertaining

entertaining

202 1.7
Makes watching or listening enjoyable
  • adjective
  • /ˌɛntərˈteɪnɪŋ/
translation icon : entretenido
  • Most students agreed that reading the book was more entertaining and cited a variety of reasons.
  • very entertaining
  • entertaining and informative
  • an entertaining performance

These books were so entertaining because they were so absurd.

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Examples

  • The second student gave an entertaining speech on nervousness and how to cure it.

    Academic text (1992)
  • That was far more entertaining and fun than I thought it would be.

  • People find that entertaining and people find value in that.

  • Where do we draw the line between things that are entertaining and things that are dangerous?

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The dream seemed like a story, and a very entertaining one at that.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • For his part, Rosenbaum hopes the forum will be at least as entertaining as educational.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Someone who was known for his provocative and entertaining speeches a la Will Rogers.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The magician's performance was absolutely entertaining as he amazed the audience with his tricks.

  • The children's movie was so entertaining that both kids and adults laughed throughout the film.

  • She found the novel entertaining because of its humorous characters and engaging plot.

Synonyms

fun
vsentertaining
1.0

Causing people to have a good time

is wider, applying to many kinds of interesting or pleasing things
exciting
vsentertaining
1.0

Making people feel very interested and eager

is milder, covering everyday interest and light pleasure instead of intensity
pleasant
vsentertaining
314 1.0

Giving a gentle feeling of enjoyment

tends to be more active in causing amusement than this mild agreeableness
amusing
vsentertaining
208 1.0

Causes people to laugh and feel happy

covers any kind of interest or pleasure beyond just humor
delightful
vsentertaining
202 2.0

Something very pleasant that makes you happy

is more neutral, covering simple amusement rather than strong delight
enjoyable
vsentertaining
119 1.0

Pleasant to do or experience

leans more toward creating active amusement rather than passive satisfaction
pleasing
vsentertaining
63 2.0

Giving a pleasant feeling of enjoyment or satisfaction

leans more toward causing lively pleasure rather than calm satisfaction
engaging
vsentertaining
12 3.5

Holding your attention because it is pleasant or interesting

is more about causing general pleasure rather than focused attention holding
enthralling
vsentertaining
7 5.8

Very interesting in a way that keeps your attention

is less intense, meaning general enjoyment rather than complete captivation
stimulating
vsentertaining
1 3.9

To make someone feel more awake and interested

focuses more on simple pleasure and amusement than on mental activation
amusive
vsentertaining
8.1

Causes enjoyment and makes people smile

is the general idea of being interesting and giving pleasure
diverting
vsentertaining
5.5

Something pleasant to watch or read that makes you smile and laugh

is broader, meaning generally interesting or pleasurable rather than only distracting
unboring
vsentertaining
  • Informal
5.5

Keeps people interested and having fun

focuses more on deliberate amusement and providing pleasure than mere non-boredom

Antonyms

721 1.0

Not interesting and making you feel tired or impatient

20 1.4

Not exciting and likely to make people bored

Compounds

Very fun and exciting to watch or play

How Entertaining

hilarious
  • Informal
264 1.5
delightful
202 2.0
entertaining
202 1.7
engaging
12 3.5
amusing
208 1.0

Surface Forms

entertaining positive
entertaininger comparative
entertainingest superlative

Morphology

entertaining = entertain (transparent) = entertain + ing

The adjective is a standard adjectival/resultant use of '-ing' derived directly from the verb 'entertain' meaning 'causing or providing amusement'.

Etymology

Entertaining comes from the parts enter- and -tain, which mean 'between' and 'to hold', the same 'hold' you see in contain. Think of a host 'holding' guests with good food and stories — so to entertain someone is to 'hold' their attention and give them pleasure.