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curious

/ˈkjʊriəs/
/ˈkjʊəriəs/
IPA guide

Other forms: curiouser; curiousest

If you’re curious, you really want to know something — like the secret ingredient that makes these cookies so crunchy. You may wish you hadn’t been so curious when you find out it’s roasted crickets.

Curious describes someone who is eager to find out answers and to explore and learn. A curious student asks lots of questions. A curious little monkey, like the famous Curious George from the children’s book series, may be so curious to know how a clock works that he breaks it trying to get a closer look inside. Curious can also describe something unusual, like a house that is painted a curious shade of purple.

Definitions of curious
  1. adjective
    eager to investigate and learn or learn more (sometimes about others' concerns)
    “a curious child is a teacher's delight”
    “a trap door that made me curious
    curious investigators”
    “traffic was slowed by curious rubberneckers”
    curious about the neighbor's doings”
    synonyms:
    nosey, nosy, prying, snoopy
    offensively curious or inquisitive
    overcurious
    showing excessive curiosity
    inquiring
    given to inquiry
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    incurious
    showing absence of intellectual inquisitiveness or natural curiosity
    uninterested
    having no care or interest in knowing
    uninquiring, uninquisitive
    deficient in curiosity
  2. adjective
    having curiosity aroused; eagerly interested in learning more
    “a trap door that made me curious
    synonyms:
    interested
    having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
  3. adjective
    beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
    “a curious hybrid accent”
    strange, unusual
    being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
Pronunciation
US
/ˈkjʊriəs/
UK
/ˈkjʊəriəs/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘curious'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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