mesmerize
Hold attention utterly
To mesmerize someone is to capture their attention so completely that they become transfixed, unable to look away or think of anything else.
The word derives from Franz Mesmer, an 18th-century physician who believed he could heal through what he called "animal magnetism"—a forerunner of hypnotism.
Today mesmerize rarely suggests actual hypnosis; instead it describes being utterly captivated: The dancer's movements mesmerized the audience.
A mesmerizing performance or view holds you spellbound.
Semiconscious, unresponsive condition
- spellboundHeld as if enchanted
- entrancePoint of access
- captivateHold attention irresistibly
- bewitchCaptivate by supernatural means
enchant · stupor · suggestion · magnetism · induction · fixation · sleepwalking · susceptibility
Held as if enchanted
- enthrallTo fascinate utterly
- fascinateIntensely attract and hold
- rivetHeaded pin hammered flat
- transfixImmobilize through shock or piercing
engross · enrapture · absorb · grip · hold · rapt · awestruck · dazzled
Gathered viewers collectively
- spectacleVisually striking event
- stage presencePerformer's commanding aura
- showmanshipSkill at impressive presentation
- magicSupernatural or illusory power
illusion · dazzle · spotlight · performer · virtuoso · breathtaking · standing ovation · crowd
trance
Semiconscious, unresponsive condition
- spellboundHeld as if enchanted
- entrancePoint of access
- captivateHold attention irresistibly
bewitch · enchant · stupor · suggestion · magnetism · induction · fixation · sleepwalking · susceptibility · swinging watch
spellbound
Held as if enchanted
transfix · engross · enrapture · absorb · grip · hold · rapt · awestruck · dazzled · bewitched
audience
Gathered viewers collectively
- spectacleVisually striking event
- stage presencePerformer's commanding aura
- showmanshipSkill at impressive presentation
magic · illusion · dazzle · spotlight · performer · virtuoso · breathtaking · standing ovation · crowd · theatrical
kaleidoscope
Tube with rotating color symmetry
- shimmerTremulous, wavering light
- iridescentShowing shifting spectral colors
- swirlingTurning in curves
patterns · colors · aurora · fireworks · light show · hologram · laser · sparkle · glitter · luminous
- performingperform, sing, play, act, dance
- spellsspell, cast, conjure, curse, enchantment
- allureattraction, attract, magnetism, charisma, attractiveness
- EponymsDarwinian, Alzheimer's disease, Freudian slip, cardigan, Parkinson's disease
- magic wordsabracadabra, alakazam, hocus pocus, presto, open sesame
- persuasionpersuade, persuasion, persuasive, convince, convincing
mesmerizebore
Tiresome individual or drill
tire · put to sleep · underwhelm · weary · numb
mesmerizedisenchant
Free from false beliefs
awaken · snap out of it · wake up · alert · sharpen
- mesmerizing stareHypnotically compelling eye contact
mesmerized, mesmerizing, mesmerism, mesmerizes, mesmeric, mesmerise, mesmerizer, mesmerised, mesmerising