interesting

/ˈɪntərəstɪŋ/

/ˈɪntrɛstɪŋ/

When you're giving a speech, you probably hope that your audience is gazing at you in fascination because what you're saying is so interesting, and not because you've got something weird on your face.

The adjective interesting describes something that makes you curious, or catches your attention, but sometimes people use the word in a doubtful way when they are taken aback but want to be polite. Like if your grandmother looks at your new tattoo and says, "Well, that's certainly interesting!" Chances are she's not actually feeling very enthusiastic about your choice of body art.

Definitions of interesting

1. adjective

   arousing or holding the attention
   synonyms:

   exciting

   creating or arousing excitement

   absorbing, compelling, engrossing, fascinating, gripping, riveting

   capable of arousing and holding the attention

   entertaining

   agreeably diverting

   amusing, amusive, diverting

   providing enjoyment; pleasantly entertaining

   intriguing

   capable of arousing interest or curiosity

   newsworthy

   sufficiently interesting to be reported in a newspaper

   stimulating

   rousing or quickening activity or the senses

   antonyms:

   uninteresting

   arousing no interest or attention or curiosity or excitement

   unexciting

   not exciting

   boring, deadening, dull, ho-hum, irksome, slow, tedious, tiresome, wearisome

   so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness

   insipid, jejune

   lacking interest or significance or impact

   narcotic, soporiferous, soporific

   inducing mental lethargy

   earthbound, pedestrian, prosaic, prosy

   lacking wit or imagination

   ponderous

   labored and dull

   putdownable

   (of a book) poorly written and not entertaining

   unexciting, unstimulating

   not stimulating