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The history of enthrall appeals far less than the word as we use it today might suggest. In Middle English, enthrallen meant “to deprive of privileges; to put in bondage.” Thrall then, as now, referred to bondage or slavery. An early figurative use of enthrall appeared in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape.” But we rarely use even this sense of mental or moral control anymore. More often, the word simply suggests a state of being generally captivated or delighted by some particular thing. Enthrall is commonly found in its past participle form enthralled, which can mean “spellbound,” as in “we listened, enthralled, to the elder's oral history.”
Synonyms
Examples of enthrall in a Sentence
Billboard Japan, Billboard, 2 Dec. 2024
Dramatic gold that is certain to enthrall history buffs and serious theatre-goers alike, according to a news release.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2024
The event has been celebrated annually with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which enthralls visitors and locals who gather along its 1,000-mile course to watch top mushers and their dogs compete.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Nov. 2024
Another is to enthrall its adversary with the notion that reconciliation through conventional negotiations at Seoul’s initiative—which will invariably come with concessions—is possible, even in the wake of the next North Korean provocation.
—Sung-Yoon Lee, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2015
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Cite this Entry
“Enthrall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enthrall. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
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