intrigue
Captivate through mystery
Intrigue has two main threads.
As a noun, it means secret scheming or a clandestine plot: palace intrigue, political intrigue.
It can also mean a secret romantic affair.
As a verb, to intrigue someone is to arouse their curiosity or fascination: The mystery intrigued her.
The noun sense emphasizes hidden machinations; the verb sense emphasizes captivated interest.
Trial venue or sports surface
- MachiavellianRuthlessly manipulative in politics
- courtierRoyal household attendant
- factionGroup within group
- jockeyingCompeting for advantage
palace · backroom · power-broker · maneuvering · dynasty · succession · influence · favor
Scheming political faction
- schemingCrafty and calculating
- collusionFraudulent secret cooperation
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- subterfugeDeliberate deception to conceal
sedition · complicity · double-dealing · backstabbing · betrayal · treachery · subversion · manipulation
Covert information gatherer
- agentOne who acts independently
- intelligenceMental ability, cognitive capacity
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
- undercoverSecretly engaged in espionage
informant · counterintelligence · reconnaissance · infiltration · mole · handler · tradecraft · cipher
Attractive, tempting quality
- captivationState of being fascinated
- fascinationIntense absorbed interest
- enchantmentMagical influence over someone
- mystiqueAura of fascination
magnetism · enticement · beguile · spellbinding · enthralling · compelling · riveting · gripping
court
Trial venue or sports surface
- MachiavellianRuthlessly manipulative in politics
- courtierRoyal household attendant
- factionGroup within group
jockeying · palace · backroom · power-broker · maneuvering · dynasty · succession · influence · favor · patronage
cabal
Scheming political faction
subterfuge · sedition · complicity · double-dealing · backstabbing · betrayal · treachery · subversion · manipulation · conniving
spy
Covert information gatherer
- agentOne who acts independently
- intelligenceMental ability, cognitive capacity
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
undercover · informant · counterintelligence · reconnaissance · infiltration · mole · handler · tradecraft · cipher · dead-drop
allure
Attractive, tempting quality
- captivationState of being fascinated
- fascinationIntense absorbed interest
- enchantmentMagical influence over someone
mystique · magnetism · enticement · beguile · spellbinding · enthralling · compelling · riveting · gripping · tantalizing
rumor
Unconfirmed circulating story
hearsay · grapevine · speculation · titillating · juicy · salacious · affair · secret · liaison · indiscretion
enigma
Something hard to fathom
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
- whodunitCrime fiction identifying perpetrator
clue · cryptic · shadowy · secretive · unknown · riddle · unexplained · curious · perplexing · baffling
- mystery fictionwhodunit, whodunnit, sleuth, murder mystery, detective novel
- royal courtking, queen, prince, princess, crown
- Royal Courtscaliph, French court, courtier, vizier, courtiers
- soap operassoap opera, telenovela, melodrama, cliffhanger, amnesia
- political intrigueconspiracy, treason, plot, collusion, sedition
- writing craftcreative writing, diction, fiction writing, pacing, novel writing
intriguebore
Tiresome individual or drill
tire · disinterest · repel · weary · pall
intriguehonesty
Truthfulness, sincerity
candor · openness · straightforwardness · transparency · sincerity
intriguesimplicity
Lack of complexity
obviousness · transparency · clarity · plainness · banality
- political intrigueCovert governmental scheming
- court intriguePolitical scheming at royal halls
- palace intrigueScheming within ruling circles
- romantic intrigueSecret romantic maneuvering
- royal intrigueScheming within a monarchy
- intriguing plotFascinating story structure
intriguing, intrigued, intrigues, intriguingly, intriguers, intriguer