as in interesting
holding the attention or provoking interest
a riveting explanation of light waves that fascinated the class
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in focusing
to fix (as one's attention) steadily toward a central objective
everyone riveted their eyes on the trick that the magician was performing on stage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of riveting
Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Below take a look at some of Janet Jackson’s most riveting fashion moments from the past and present in celebration of her birthday.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 15 May 2025
The crack of Shohei Ohtani’s bat — punctuating a riveting contest in early May with another indelible moment of on-demand magic.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for riveting
Adjective
The actor has written and directed countless shorts, which gave financiers confidence to back his riveting portrait of a struggling London addict (Dillane) who is by turns charming, manipulative, desperate, angry, violent, loving, joyful, childlike, and needy.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Below take a look at some of Janet Jackson’s most riveting fashion moments from the past and present in celebration of her birthday.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 15 May 2025
The crack of Shohei Ohtani’s bat — punctuating a riveting contest in early May with another indelible moment of on-demand magic.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for riveting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riveting
Adjective
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There are a few theories about why this happens, but one of the most interesting is how celebrity success can impact self-esteem.—
Callum Booth,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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Seema still tries to fill the Samantha-sized hole in the series, and Lisa mirrors Charlotte but with marginally more interesting plots.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
29 May 2025
Verb
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State government has been focusing on East Hartford in recent years because the administration of then-Mayor Mike Walsh advanced a series of high-profile, potentially transformative projects.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
11 Apr. 2025
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Pitchers As far as pitching goes, the thesis couldn’t be simpler — do our best to avoid any bias attached to surface stats (outputs) by instead focusing on underlying metrics (inputs).—
John Laghezza,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The economic marginalization of nuclear power is an intriguing case in point.—
Saleem H. Ali,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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This could be an intriguing buy-low opportunity for a player with star, first-line upside.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Verb
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This led to an explosion of technology development and, with funding concentrating on a smaller number of startups, set the playing field for 2025.—
Jeff Mahler,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
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Since the trial began, the Amazons have ventured out about three times a week to paste messages on both sides of the ramparts, but mostly concentrating on the intra-muros area near the courthouse.—
Catherine Porter,
New York Times,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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There's a fascinating set of new patches Chinese officials released for a series of launches with top-secret satellites over the last two months, Ars reports.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
23 May 2025
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Seeing it through someone else’s eyes must be fascinating.—
Lacey Rose,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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McCoist is his usual wide-eyed, engaging, cheery and very listenable self, eulogising over PSG’s masterclass.—
Pablo Maurer,
New York Times,
1 June 2025
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On June 5, the IndieWire Honors Spring 2025 ceremony will celebrate the creators and stars responsible for some of the most impressive and engaging work of this TV season.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Warm weather and long days stoke the desire to let time and obligations fall away, and to give yourself over to an absorbing novel, history, or memoir.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2025
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As if confirming this idea, the process of observation when the camera rolls proves so absorbing that most of the movie’s images are allowed to stay onscreen for engrossingly (not showily) long stretches.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Riveting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riveting. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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