interesting

1 of 2

adjective

in·​ter·​est·​ing ˈin-t(ə-)rə-stiŋ  ˈin-tə-ˌre- 

ˈin-ˌtre-;

ˈin-tər-

: holding the attention : arousing interest

interestingness noun

interesting

2 of 2

present participle of interest entry 2

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The Pronunciation and History of Interesting

There are a number of ways to say interesting. It can have three syllables or four; it can have an accent only on the first syllable, or it can also have a secondary accent on the "res"; the first "e" can get ignored, resulting in a second syllable of "tres" rhyming with dress; or the second "e" can be ignored, resulting in a syllable that sounds like terse. All of these various pronunciations are well-established and occur in the speech of educated, native speakers of English.

The word interesting originally meant "of concern"; it was a synonym of important. It comes from the verb interest, which in its original use meant "to induce or persuade to participate or engage." If you were interested in something, you were not willing to be a bystander; you felt the need to participate or engage.

Synonyms of interesting

Adjective

• intriguing
• fascinating
• engaging
• exciting
• absorbing

Examples of interesting in a Sentence

Adjective

This is one of the most interesting books I've read all year.

It will be interesting to see how she decides to spend the money.

This building has an interesting history.

I don't find politics very interesting.

I found it interesting to learn that she had once lived in California.

Most of what he said wasn't interesting to me.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

That makes the technology particularly interesting for counter-drone missions, where disabling an aircraft’s sensors or critical components may be sufficient to bring it down. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026

Zhou, a Dartmouth grad and former investment banker, is now betting that the most interesting market for AI isn’t the consumer smartphone nor the corporate office, but rather the shop floor. — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026

The day improves once your mental energy has something interesting to explore instead of something annoying to manage. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026

Everything is relayed thirdhand, and none of it is particularly sticky or interesting. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1768, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for interesting

• uninteresting

Kids Definition

interesting

adjective

in·​ter·​est·​ing ˈin-trəst-iŋ  ˈint-ə-ˌrest-iŋ 

-ə-rəst-, 

-ərst-

: holding the attention : arousing interest