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mesmerizing

/ˈmɛzməˌraɪzɪŋ/
IPA guide

Other forms: mesmerizingly

If something catches and holds your attention, as if by magic, it's mesmerizing. You might find yourself unable to look away from the mesmerizing display of fireworks overhead.

In the 1780s, an Austrian doctor named Franz Mesmer developed a popular medical treatment based on hypnosis. The word mesmerizing comes from his last name, and it originally described actions that induced a hypnotic state. Today it's used for enthralling or fascinating things, like falling snow, your cat's eyes, a sonorous voice reading you a story, or someone who's so wonderful you can't stop thinking about them.

Definitions of mesmerizing
  1. adjective
    attracting and holding interest as if by a spell
    “the sheer force of his presence was mesmerizing
    attractive
    pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm
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