enchant

Synonym Chooser

How is the word enchant different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of enchant are allure, attract, captivate, charm, and fascinate. While all these words mean "to draw another by exerting a powerful influence," enchant is perhaps the strongest of these terms in stressing the appeal of the agent and the degree of delight evoked in the subject.

hopelessly enchanted by her beauty

Where would allure be a reasonable alternative to enchant?

The synonyms allure and enchant are sometimes interchangeable, but allure implies an enticing by what is fair, pleasing, or seductive.

an alluring smile

When is attract a more appropriate choice than enchant?

The meanings of attract and enchant largely overlap; however, attract applies to any degree or kind of ability to exert influence over another.

students attracted by the school's locale

How do charm and captivate relate to one another, in the sense of enchant?

Charm implies the power of casting a spell over the person or thing affected and so compelling a response, but it may, like captivate, suggest no more than evoking delight or admiration.

charmed by their hospitality
her performances captivated audiences

In what contexts can fascinate take the place of enchant?

The words fascinate and enchant are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fascinate suggests a magical influence and tends to stress the ineffectiveness of attempts to resist.

a story that continues to fascinate children

Examples 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 enchant The affair includes Lafayette, whom Claire met (and was enchanted by) that afternoon at the market. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 27 Dec. 2024 New, enchanting flavors abound with every captivating sip; complex, creamy, fruity, and spicy notes are expressed with each welcome return to the glass. Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024 Not to mention, I’m still enchanted by the way the curling rod attachment magically does the work of twisting my hair, without hardly a flick of the wrist from me. Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 2 Dec. 2024 Elphaba enchants their mother’s jeweled shoes allowing Nessa to walk, but Boq still rejects her. Nicole Fell, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for enchant 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enchant
Verb
  • Fishing for Microbes For years, Irene Salinas has been fascinated by a simple physiological fact: The distance between the nose and the brain is quite small.
    Yasemin Saplakoglu, WIRED, 5 Jan. 2025
  • Rosenberg, who had been fascinated by Zygielbojm’s story for years, agreed.
    Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Cryogenic refrigerators require expertise that is possessed by only a handful of companies, most based in the United Kingdom and the EU.
    Charina Chou, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Three days later, he was arrested again, this time for assaulting one of their sons and for possessing a gun while drunk.
    Peter Hessler, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • As Will periodically rode by on a Segway to monitor his work—Segways were for closers on Seal Team Six—Colvin flailed in his efforts to charm the residents of St. Cloud.
    Brendan I. Koerner, WIRED, 13 Jan. 2025
  • After being charmed by the Janson family's rural lifestyle, Green later returned to the small Ohio town with his co-writer and a once-and-lifetime opportunity.
    Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 17 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • But the Pronger deal spelled the end of one Cup window and the opening of another.
    Sean McIndoe, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
  • The new ruling, made by a three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, spells the apparent end of FCC enforcement of net neutrality, which began in 2015 when the agency adopted the Obama-era Open Internet Order.
    Ben Guarino, Scientific American, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Eventually, he was enticed to talk after being offered immunity from prosecution.
    Astha Rajvanshi, NBC News, 14 Jan. 2025
  • The nation’s flight and digital connectivity, coupled with its safe and attractive investment climate, is enticing a growing number of international investors to establish homes on the islands.
    Panorama Media Ltd., Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Community members said she was bewitched, and on their advice, Ms. Miruka treated her with local herbs.
    Gioia Shah, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Jan. 2025
  • For those of you who aren’t bewitched by the beautiful game of fantasy football year-round, welcome!
    Jay Felicio, The Athletic, 1 Aug. 2024
Verb
  • The video has delighted internet users, going viral with over 255,500 views and more than 46,200 likes on TikTok in a matter of days.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
  • But other than catalogs of music that continue to delight and resonate, something else unites the musicians noted above — none of them launched their careers this century.
    David Browne, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Film The Eternal Becoming of Sofia Coppola Soraya Roberts Like so many of her heroines, the director seduces to control.
    hazlitt.net, hazlitt.net, 4 Jan. 2025
  • Football had already seduced the teenager when the father of a friend, who was the quarterback for the Everett High School team in Massachusetts where Sainristil starred, pulled some union ties for the cemetery job.
    Ben Standig, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near enchant

Cite this Entry

“Enchant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enchant. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on enchant

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