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curious people
fascinated people
interested people
concerned people
a curious situation
a peculiar situation
an intriguing situation
a mysterious situation
a fascinating situation
an interesting situation
a curious mixture
an unusual mixture
a strange mixture
a surprising mixture
a clever mixture
a bizarre mixture
a curious look
a peculiar look
a puzzled look
a suspicious look
an uncertain look
curious onlookers
nosy onlookers
enthralled onlookers
anxious onlookers
eager onlookers
inquisitive onlookers

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective curious contrast with its synonyms?

The words inquisitive and prying are common synonyms of curious. While all three words mean "interested in what is not one's personal or proper concern," curious, a neutral term, basically connotes an active desire to learn or to know.

children are curious about everything

When could inquisitive be used to replace curious?

The words inquisitive and curious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, inquisitive suggests impertinent and habitual curiosity and persistent quizzing.

dreaded the visits of their inquisitive relatives

When is prying a more appropriate choice than curious?

The synonyms prying and curious are sometimes interchangeable, but prying implies busy meddling and officiousness.

prying neighbors who refuse to mind their own business

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of curious Cue the invasion, with 220 tour buses making the two-hour, 130-kilometer (78-mile) trip, alongside cars full of curious day visitors, blocking the resort’s narrow roads and angering its 1,500 local residents. Barbie Latza Nadeau and Antonia Mortensen, CNN, 29 Jan. 2025 The grave became a place of veneration, then a site of controversy in the early 2000s when Little Round Top’s owner began to shoo away the curious. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2025 Playwright Lloyd Suh creates a captivating portrayal of intelligent, curious and creative women navigating the challenges of a new country. Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Jan. 2025 But the movie and its maker are also curious about the effect of the show itself, how its quest for justice may have become muddled along the way, and what its popularity might say about us. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for curious 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for curious
Adjective
  • Pete was a gentle spirit, creative, inquisitive, and reflective.
    Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
  • Elsewhere, inquisitive faces loom up from hazy backgrounds; a straight fringe frames a determined expression.
    Michael Bracewell, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The win-then-disqualification made for a strange post-race set of circumstances.
    Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 15 Feb. 2025
  • Our strange behavior and fumbled sentences change others’ perception of us and our perception of ourselves.
    Wash Westmoreland, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Available in three sophisticated shades – carbon, affogato, and flute (a light, blue-tinged grey) – it’s spun from 100% cashmere sourced from a prestigious Italian mill regarded as the world’s finest, and knitted to be a double-faced jersey, which is unusual.
    Benedict Browne, Robb Report, 7 Feb. 2025
  • Local business ads sometimes ran to 10 pages with 30 plus Christmas business ads not being unusual and 12- 14 bars invited you to visit them.
    Bob Roepke, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Russia is also interested in Ukraine's natural resources, and one major lithium reserve is within 10 miles of the front line in the Donetsk region.
    Isabelle Khurshudyan and Ellen Francis The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 9 Feb. 2025
  • Tyreek Hill appears to be interested in sticking with the Miami Dolphins for the foreseeable future.
    Chantz Martin, Fox News, 9 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The bizarre clip, reportedly shot with an iPhone, featured West in a dentist’s chair asking people to go to the website.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2025
  • Certainly, the eccentric characters and bizarre situations in his novels reflect a hallucinatory vision.
    Tom Vitale, NPR, 9 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • But having some form of a relationship with someone who has narcissism is not uncommon.
    Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 10 Feb. 2025
  • Johnson personally made calls to legislators to share his position, which was uncommon.
    Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • In late January, the iconic funny man appeared on 101.1 The Wiz, reacting to a slew of rappers performing at Donald Trump‘s inauguration.
    Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 11 Feb. 2025
  • The actor simply finds something too funny to contain him or herself.
    Tony Maglio, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Gilda, who fell in love easily and often, and wasn’t afraid to be weird, or look ridiculous.
    Adrienne LaFrance, The Atlantic, 15 Feb. 2025
  • This isn’t to take a weird victory lap several years later.
    Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025

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Thesaurus Entries Near curious

Cite this Entry

“Curious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/curious. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on curious

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