gripped
Seized and held
Gripped is the past tense of grip—to hold tightly or firmly.
A hand grips a railing; fear grips a person.
When something grips you, it holds your attention completely: I was gripped by the documentary from start to finish.
A gripping story is one you can't look away from.
Held firmly in hand
- graspedClutched or understood
- claspedHeld firmly together
- squeezedPressed firmly together
- clenchedContracted with force
grabbed · seized · white-knuckled · tight · firm · locked · pincer · stranglehold
Deeply fascinated, held rapt
- mesmerizedHeld in rapt attention
- fascinatedIntensely absorbed and curious
- spellboundHeld as if enchanted
- rivetedFastened or enthralled
transfixed · engrossed · absorbed · immersed · hooked · rapt · intrigued · enchanted
Extremely frightened
- paralyzedUnable to move voluntarily
- seizedTook suddenly, forcefully
- overcomePrevail against difficulty
- strickenSeriously affected by adversity
frozen · panicked · alarmed · dread · terror · horror · petrified · white-knuckled
Seriously affected by adversity
- seizedTook suddenly, forcefully
- plaguedPersistently afflicted
- overcomePrevail against difficulty
- besetTroubled on all sides
suffering · tormented · wracked · consumed · possessed · debilitated · fever · illness
clutched
Held firmly in hand
clenched · grabbed · seized · white-knuckled · tight · firm · locked · pincer · stranglehold · handhold
enthralled
Deeply fascinated, held rapt
- mesmerizedHeld in rapt attention
- fascinatedIntensely absorbed and curious
- spellboundHeld as if enchanted
riveted · transfixed · engrossed · absorbed · immersed · hooked · rapt · intrigued · enchanted · hypnotized
terrified
Extremely frightened
- paralyzedUnable to move voluntarily
- seizedTook suddenly, forcefully
- overcomePrevail against difficulty
stricken · frozen · panicked · alarmed · dread · terror · horror · petrified · white-knuckled · tense
stricken
Seriously affected by adversity
beset · suffering · tormented · wracked · consumed · possessed · debilitated · fever · illness · pain
clamped
Secured by compression
tethered · bound · fixed · attached · cinched · hitched · moored · braced · strapped · locked
absorbed
Took in fully
- immersedPlunged entirely into
- focusedDirecting attention narrowly
- concentratedGathered or intensified
intent · attentive · engaged · preoccupied · fixated · deep · lost · wrapped · rapt · consumed
- took holdseized, grabbed, grasped, clutched, clasped
- captivatedspellbound, entranced, enthralled, mesmerized, rapt
- stuckjammed, clogged, trapped, stuck in mud, snowed in
- tightnesstight, taut, snug, constricting, compressed
- captivationfascination, captivation, enthrallment, bewitchment, entrancement
- birding slanglifer, tick, twitch, twitcher, dip
grippedreleased
Set free from confinement
let go · dropped · loosened · relinquished · let slip
grippedbored
Lacking interest or engagement
uninterested · indifferent · disengaged · inattentive · apathetic
- hand gripperForearm strength device
- gripping narrativesStories demanding continued attention
gripping, gripper, grippers, regripped, grippable, regripping