mesmerize
verb
Arnold Plotnick
Did you know?
Experts can’t agree on whether Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) was a quack or a genius, but all concede that the Swabian physician's name is the source of the word mesmerize. In his day, Mesmer was the toast of Paris, where he enjoyed the support of notables including Queen Marie Antoinette. He treated patients with therapeutic procedures (called, appropriately enough, mesmerism) involving what he claimed was a mysterious force termed animal magnetism. (Many believe that mesmerism was what we now call hypnotism). Accordingly, the verb mesmerize was first used to mean "to subject to mesmerism" before broadening to be synonymous with hypnotize, and later to mean "to amaze or captivate."
Examples of mesmerize in a Sentence
Jack Howland, Kansas City Star, 21 Mar. 2025
Sweden Taking fourth place is the country renowned for its four-season outdoor activities, mesmerizing natural landscapes and sophisticated capital city, Stockholm.
—Sandra MacGregor, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
As the mom of three gently scratches his fur, her loyal companion is in awe, wagging his tail and inching closer, seemingly mesmerized by the tiny new addition to the family.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
The boys drop away and her fingers, illuminated, grow into a mesmerizing fire, flickering at fantastical speed, licking the light, flaming higher and higher.
—Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mesmerize
Cite this Entry
“Mesmerize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mesmerize. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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mesmerize
transitive verb
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