INDEX:
1. feeling interested in something
2. so interested that you give all your attention to something
3. to make someone interested
4. to become interested
5. to stop being interested
6. not interested
7. something you are interested in
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ BORING/BORED
see also
↑ INTERESTING
↑ EXCITED/EXCITING
↑ OBSESSION
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1. feeling interested in something
▷ interested /ˈɪntrɪstəd, ˈɪntrəstəd/ [adjective not usually before noun]
if you are interested in something, you give it your attention because you want to know more about it :
▪ The children seemed very interested when I showed them my photographs.
▪ I can’t remember the name of the book, but if you’re interested I can find out.
interested in
▪ I’ve never really been interested in politics.
▪ Bob first got interested in motor cycles when he was about sixteen.
interested to know/hear/see/learn etc something
▪ You’re an expert on legal problems - I’d be interested to know what you think.
▪ We’d be very interested to hear your opinion about this.
▷ find something interesting /ˌfaɪnd something ˈɪntrə̇stɪŋ/ [verb phrase]
to feel interested in something because it is the type of thing that you usually like to know more about :
▪ It’s a book about travelling round India. I thought you’d find it interesting.
find sth interesting to read/watch/hear about etc
▪ I always find wildlife programmes interesting to watch.
▷ with interest /wɪð ˈɪntrə̇st/ [adverb] especially written
if you do something with interest, you do it in a way that shows you are interested :
▪ Richard listened with interest to the conversation at the next table.
with great interest
▪ I read with great interest your article concerning the history of the university.
▷ interest in something /ˈɪntrɪst ɪn , ˈɪntrəst ɪn something/ [noun phrase]
if there is interest in something, several or a lot of people are interested in it and want to find out more about it :
▪ There has always been a lot of interest in the question of life on other planets.
▪ The Head of Geography said the project was an example of the school’s continuing interest in environmental issues.
take an interest in something
▪ I was a teenager when I first took a serious interest in films.
▪ Children with parents who take an interest in their education generally do better at school.
▷ show/express (an) interest /ˌʃəʊ, ɪkˌspres (ən) ˈɪntrə̇st/ [verb phrase]
to say or do something to show that you are interested in something :
▪ If you think you’d like the job, you should at least express an interest.
show/express (an) interest in
▪ Several companies have already expressed interest in our research.
▪ At a few weeks old, most babies are showing an interest in what is going on around them.
▷ curious /ˈkjʊ ə riəs/ [adjective]
eager to find out more about something because you are interested but do not know much about it :
▪ The visitors were soon surrounded by a crowd of curious children.
▪ I’m not being nosy, I’m just curious.
curious about
▪ People have always been curious about exactly how life on earth began.
curious to know/find out/discover etc something
▪ He was curious to find out why she had left her job so suddenly.
curiously [adverb]
▪ Everyone stared at us curiously, wondering who we were.
curiosity /ˌkjʊ ə riˈɒsɪti, ˌkjʊ ə riˈɒsətiǁ-ˈɑːs-/ [uncountable noun]
▪ She seems to have no curiosity as to who her natural parents are.
▪ Out of curiosity, I started to read the record he’s made.
▷ fascinated /ˈfæsɪneɪtəd, ˈfæsəneɪtəd/ [adjective not usually before noun]
extremely interested in something that you are watching or listening to, especially because it is unusual :
▪ She watched, fascinated, as the bird came closer until she could almost touch it.
▪ The more I heard about him, the more fascinated I became.
fascinated by
▪ I was fascinated by her stories of her childhood in Africa.
fascinated to discover/find out/learn etc
▪ He was fascinated to discover that they had both been born in the same town on the same day.
▷ have a fascination with/for /hæv ə ˌfæsə̇ˈneɪʃ ə n wɪð, fɔːʳ/ [verb phrase]
to have a very strong and often unusual interest in something :
▪ I’ve always had this strange fascination with the circus.
▪ Her writing shows a fascination for the darker side of life.
▷ intrigued /ɪnˈtriːgd/ [adjective not before noun]
interested by something and eager to know more about it, because it seems mysterious or strange :
▪ ‘Stop me if I’m boring you.’ ‘No, please carry on - I’m intrigued!’
▪ Scientists became intrigued by the rock, which appeared to have come from outer space.
intrigued by
▪ Diana was intrigued by Sue’s cryptic message on the answerphone.
intrigued to find out/learn/know etc
▪ I was intrigued to find that she spoke Aramaic.
▷ be into /biː ˈɪntuː/ [transitive phrasal verb] British spoken informal
to be very interested in a subject or activity, and to spend a lot of time on it because you enjoy it :
▪ Both the kids are into computer games at the moment, and nothing else!
be into doing something
▪ Luke’s really into keeping fit - he goes running at 6 o'clock every day.
2. so interested that you give all your attention to something
▷ absorbed /əbˈsɔːʳbd, əbˈzɔːʳbd/ [adjective not before noun]
so interested in something that you give it all your attention and do not notice or pay attention to other things :
absorbed in
▪ Penny and Sam were so absorbed in their game, that they didn’t hear me call.
▪ Dad was obviously far too absorbed in his own difficulties to be interested in mine.
▪ I saw Bill walking across the park, absorbed in his own thoughts.
▷ gripped/riveted /grɪpt, ˈrɪvə̇tə̇d/ [adjective not before noun]
extremely interested by a book, film, event etc or by what someone is saying, so that you cannot stop reading, watching, listening etc :
▪ It was a brilliant documentary. I sat absolutely riveted from beginning to end.
▪ I was completely gripped as soon as I opened the book.
gripped/riveted by
▪ We stopped the car, riveted by the sight of a village wedding in progress.
▷ engrossed /ɪnˈgrəʊst/ [adjective not before noun]
extremely interested in something such as a book or your work, so that you do not notice anything that is happening around you :
▪ As she worked, she became so engrossed that she lost all sense of time.
engrossed in
▪ Jane was sitting in bed, engrossed in a novel.
▪ They appeared to be engrossed in their conversation and I didn’t want to disturb them.
▷ obsessed /əbˈsest/ [adjective not before noun]
to be too interested in something, so that you cannot stop thinking about it or spending your time on it :
▪ He spends all his time fiddling about with cars - he’s completely obsessed.
obsessed by/with
▪ As an artist, he was obsessed with sex and death.
▪ People seem to be obsessed by health issues these days.
become obsessed
▪ She became obsessed with the idea of making money.
obsession /əbˈseʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
▪ His interest in the Internet was rapidly becoming an obsession.
▷ enthralled /ɪnˈθrɔːld/ [adjective]
very interested and excited by a story or by something that you see or hear, so that you give all your attention to it :
▪ From the opening line of the play, the audience was completely enthralled.
listen/watch etc enthralled
▪ We listened enthralled as she told us the story of her life.
enthralled by
▪ I was completely enthralled by the world of the theatre, and knew that I wanted to act.
▷ mesmerized also mesmerised British /ˈmezməraɪzd/ [adjective not before noun]
unable to stop looking at something or listening to someone because they completely keep your attention :
▪ She stood there mesmerized as he picked up the gun and turned it slowly towards her.
mesmerized by
▪ It was as if the audience was completely mesmerized by the small figure on the stage.
▷ spellbound /ˈspelbaʊnd/ [adjective]
so interested by something, especially something strange or wonderful, that you are unable to move or think of anything else :
listen/watch/wait etc spellbound
▪ Millions of Japanese listened spellbound as they heard the Emperor speak in public for the first time.
spellbound by
▪ On clear nights we were spellbound by the strange flickering of the Northern lights in the sky.
held somebody spellbound
▪ The Firebird is a magical ballet that still holds audiences spellbound.
▷ be all ears /biː ˌɔːl ˈɪəʳz/ [verb phrase] spoken
to be extremely interested in what someone is telling you, and listen very carefully to it :
▪ Tell me exactly what happened. I’m all ears.
▪ Everyone was all ears as soon as I mentioned a cash prize.
3. to make someone interested
▷ interest /ˈɪntrɪst, ˈɪntrəst/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
if something interests you, it makes you feel interested :
▪ There was an article in yesterday’s paper that might interest you.
▪ It’s always best to choose the subject that interests you, not the one your parents want you to do.
▪ What interests me most is where he got all that money in the first place.
▷ get somebody interested /ˌget somebody ˈɪntrə̇stə̇d/ [verb phrase]
to make someone interested in a subject or activity, especially by trying to make it seem attractive or enjoyable :
▪ If we can get enough people interested, we could start a reading group.
get sb interested in
▪ I’ve tried to get Sam interested in sport, but all he wants to do is watch TV.
▷ fascinate /ˈfæsɪneɪt, ˈfæsəneɪt/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
if something fascinates you, it makes you very interested, so that you want to spend a lot of time thinking about it, watching it etc :
▪ Anything to do with computers fascinates him.
▪ Cats fascinate me - I don’t know why.
what fascinates me is
▪ What fascinates me about his poems is their apparent simplicity.
▷ intrigue /ɪnˈtriːg/ [transitive verb]
if something intrigues you, it makes you want to know more about it because there is something about it that you do not understand or cannot explain :
▪ The final part of the letter intrigued him greatly.
▪ One question has particularly intrigued those working on this study.
▷ rekindle/revive interest /riːˌkɪndl, rɪˌvaɪv ˈɪntrə̇st/ [verb phrase]
to make people interested in a particular subject again :
▪ The discovery of the Titanic, twenty miles below the ocean surface, rekindled interest in the ship.
▪ His book did much to revive interest in long-forgotten natural remedies.
4. to become interested
▷ get/become interested /ˌget, bɪˌkʌm ˈɪntrə̇stə̇d/ [verb phrase]
▪ ‘Really?’ he said. He was obviously getting interested.
get/become interested in
▪ When did you first get really interested in baseball?
▪ Early in his career, Piaget became interested in children’s development.
▷ get into /get ˈɪntuː/ [transitive phrasal verb] especially spoken, informal
to start to become interested in something :
▪ I never used to like jazz but I’ve been getting into it recently.
▪ A lot of teenage boys suddenly get into fitness and weight-training.
▷ get the bug /ˌget ðə ˈbʌg/ [verb phrase] informal
to become interested in something, so that you want to do it a lot :
get the gardening/travel/golf etc bug
▪ Since my college days I’ve always had the travel bug.
▪ As soon as the kids got out on the slopes, they were bitten by the skiing bug.
5. to stop being interested
▷ lose interest /ˌluːz ˈɪntrə̇st/ [verb phrase]
to stop being interested in something that you were interested in before :
▪ Dan used to play football every Sunday, but then he just lost interest.
lose interest in
▪ Recently she seems to have lost all interest in her work.
6. not interested
▷ not be interested /nɒt biː ˈɪnstrə̇stə̇d/ [verb phrase]
▪ I started telling them about my vacation, but they weren’t very interested.
▪ Helen tried to persuade her sister to come with us, but she just wasn’t interested.
not be interested in
▪ I’m sure you’re not interested in hearing me talk about my ex-boyfriends.
▷ uninterested /ʌnˈɪntrɪstəd, ʌnˈɪntrəstəd/ [adjective]
not interested and not wanting to know about something :
▪ Morris appeared to be completely uninterested in any of the suggestions I made.
▪ ‘Oh is that all?’ she said in an uninterested tone of voice.
uninterested in
▪ It’s a pity that so many people are uninterested in science at school.
▷ not interest /nɒt ˈɪntrə̇st/ [verb phrase]
if a subject or activity does not interest you, you do not want to know about it or learn about it :
▪ To be honest, politics doesn’t interest me at all.
▪ Everyone’s always talking about the World Cup, but it just doesn’t interest me.
▷ show/express no interest /ˌʃəʊ, ɪkˌspres nəʊ ˈɪntrə̇st/ [verb phrase]
to not be interested in something, and to not do or say anything that shows you are interested :
▪ I try to talk to her about my work, but she shows no interest.
▪ When we suggested going camping, no one expressed any interest.
show/express no interest in
▪ A lot of people have been to look at the house, but they’ve shown no interest in buying it.
▷ lack of interest /ˌlæk əv ˈɪntrə̇st/ [noun phrase]
if there is a lack of interest in something, people are not interested in it, especially when you would expect them to be interested :
▪ The boy replied with a complete lack of interest.
lack of interest in
▪ A depressed person often shows self-pity and a lack of interest in the outside world.
▷ apathetic /ˌæpəˈθetɪk◂/ [adjective]
someone who is apathetic about a particular activity or problem is not interested in it and does not care about it enough to try and change it :
▪ Of course it matters whether you vote or not! Don’t be so apathetic!
apathetic about
▪ People must realize that we can’t afford to be apathetic about environmental issues any longer.
apathy /ˈæpəθi/ [uncountable noun]
▪ Sometimes the apathy of the electorate is quite depressing.
▪ political apathy
▷ leave somebody cold /ˌliːv somebody ˈkəʊld/ [verb phrase] informal
if something leaves you cold, you do not feel at all interested in it, even though many other people are :
▪ Why are people so crazy about opera? It leaves me completely cold.
▪ All this talk about counselling and therapy left me cold.
7. something you are interested in
▷ hobby /ˈhɒbiǁˈhɑː-/ [countable noun]
an activity that you enjoy and think is interesting, and that you like to spend time doing when you are not working :
▪ What are your hobbies?
▪ Stamp collecting has been a hobby of mine ever since I was a child.
take up a hobby
▪ When people retire, they often take up new hobbies and start to make new friends.
▷ interest /ˈɪntrɪst, ˈɪntrəst/ [countable noun]
something you like to spend time doing or studying when you are not working, because you think it is interesting or entertaining :
▪ Her interests were the same as most young girls -- pop music, boys and clothes.
▪ Golf is also one of his interests.
▪ Josie isn’t really an archaeologist, it’s just an interest of hers.
▷ pastime /ˈpɑːstaɪmǁˈpæs-/ [countable noun]
something that you enjoy doing and think is interesting, that you do in the time when you are not working :
▪ As a pastime, keeping and riding horses has always been very expensive.
▪ Gardening is my mother’s favourite pastime.
▪ In southern Europe, shooting birds is a popular pastime.