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
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
Torturous as that may sound, directorTrip Cullman (who showed off his penchant for directing quippy interpersonal drama with Cult of Love) has orchestrated a riveting experience.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026
Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2026
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone wondering how to make each hour in their workday riveting for television viewers.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for riveting
Adjective
Although McKellen’s Julian is colorful and riveting, Solomon saw Coel’s Lori as the protagonist from whose perspective the movie would largely be told.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
Torturous as that may sound, directorTrip Cullman (who showed off his penchant for directing quippy interpersonal drama with Cult of Love) has orchestrated a riveting experience.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026
Verb
Pomona native and Cal Poly grad who flew Navy F-18s successfully launches as pilot of NASA’s riveting Artemis II mission around the moon, the first such voyage since the Apollo program in 1972.
—Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2026
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone wondering how to make each hour in their workday riveting for television viewers.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for riveting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riveting
Adjective
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Even as a young writer, her talent for digging up interesting stats, along with her contagious positivity and love for the game, set her apart in a crowded media landscape.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
-
Available in deep blue or soft pink varieties, the spiky blooms make excellent cut flowers, adding interesting texture to bouquets.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
3 May 2026
Verb
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This study analyzed national emergency department data over a 16-year period, from 2007 through 2022, focusing on unintentional injuries among children 5 and under.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
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By focusing on the ihram, which is a garment produced and discarded in massive volumes, the commission is not merely addressing a waste problem.—
FMG Studios,
Footwear News,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Lord of the Flies, William Golding‘s 1954 novel, is one of those properties that feels like it has constantly been adapted for the screen — even though beyond films by Peter Brook (1963) and Harry Hook (1990), both intriguing yet imperfect, it has actually very rarely been adapted.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
4 May 2026
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The coaching chess match is frequently one of the most intriguing parts of the Stanley Cup playoffs.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Packing involves concentrating like-minded voters into fewer districts, or into a single district, to minimize their overall impact across multiple districts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
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As a pair of smart glasses aimed at hard-of-hearing users, the Captify Pro delivers a focused and functional experience by concentrating almost entirely on live captioning and translation.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Second, the jurors who will decide the course of this lawsuit are a fascinating and diverse group, with blue-collar immigrants serving alongside white-colllar retirees.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
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The definition of a fascinating project, Lemieux played tackle at Dartmouth but converted to try some center at the Senior Bowl.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Mercury in your 5th House of Creativity keeps your personal expression active and engaging.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The new guard of creators and brand strategists who have built communities from the ground up know their method is much more effective and engaging than a top-down model.—
Caitlin White,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Operator errors, including violations of safety protocols and the removal of most absorbing rods, also played a role.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
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The tablets are quick-absorbing and free from soy, gluten, dairy, fish and yeast.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riveting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riveting. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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