captivate

UK: /ˈkæptɪveɪt/ US: /ˈkæptəˌveɪt/ ,(kap′tə vāt′)

Inflections of 'captivate' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

captivates

v 3rd person singular

captivating

v pres p

captivated

v past

captivated

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

cap•ti•vate /ˈkæptəˌveɪt/   v. [ ~ + obj], -vat•ed, -vat•ing. 

1. to charm or attract strongly; enchant;
   fascinate:
   She had completely captivated him with her wit.

cap•ti•vat•ing, adj.: 

She was a captivating movie star.

cap•ti•vat•ing•ly, adv. 
cap•ti•va•tion /ˌkæptəˈveɪʃən/  n. [uncountable]
cap•ti•va•tor, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

cap•ti•vate  (kap′tə vāt′), v.t., -vat•ed, -vat•ing. 

1. to attract and hold the attention or interest of, as by beauty or excellence;
   enchant:
   Her blue eyes and red hair captivated him.
2. [Obs.] to capture;
   subjugate.

• Late Latin captīvātus (past participle of captīvāre to take captive), equivalent. to Latin captīv(us) captive + -ātus -ate¹
• 1520–30

cap′ti•vat′ing•ly, adv. 
cap′ti•va′tion, n. 
cap′ti•va′tive, adj. 
cap′ti•va′tor, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. fascinate, bewitch, charm.
• 2. subdue.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

captivate / ˈkæptɪˌveɪt/ verb (transitive)

1. to hold the attention of by fascinating; enchant
2. an obsolete word for capture

Etymology: 16th Century: from Late Latin captivāre, from captīvus captive

ˈcaptiˌvatingly adverb

ˌcaptiˈvation noun