spellbinds
Holds attention absolutely
Spellbinds means holds someone's complete attention, as if under a spell.
The word suggests captivation so total that the person cannot look away or think of anything else: The storyteller spellbinds her audience with tales of ancient magic.
The past tense is spellbound, which also serves as an adjective meaning entranced or fascinated.
Captivates utterly, hypnotically
- captivatesHolds rapt attention
- enthrallsCaptures attention completely
- bewitchesCasts a spell on
- enchantsDelights or bewitches
hypnotizes · transfixes · fascinates · charms · enraptures · beguiles · entrances · rivets
Gathered viewers collectively
- stageRaised performance platform
- storytellerOne who recounts tales
- oratorSkilled public speaker
- magicianPerformer of illusions
illusionist · performer · showman · spectacle · act · theater · drama · monologue
Supreme artistic achievement
- compositionArranged elements forming whole
- proseUnversified language
- poetryMetrical literary composition
- cinematographyMotion picture visual craft
imagery · brushwork · melody · symphony · novelist · filmmaker · choreography · sculpture
mesmerizes
Captivates utterly, hypnotically
- captivatesHolds rapt attention
- enthrallsCaptures attention completely
- bewitchesCasts a spell on
enchants · hypnotizes · transfixes · fascinates · charms · enraptures · beguiles · entrances · rivets · grips
audience
Gathered viewers collectively
- stageRaised performance platform
- storytellerOne who recounts tales
- oratorSkilled public speaker
magician · illusionist · performer · showman · spectacle · act · theater · drama · monologue · narrative
masterpiece
Supreme artistic achievement
- compositionArranged elements forming whole
- proseUnversified language
- poetryMetrical literary composition
cinematography · imagery · brushwork · melody · symphony · novelist · filmmaker · choreography · sculpture · artistry
spellbindsbores
Drills or tires
wearies · dulls · puts to sleep · repels · disinterests
spellbindsdisenchants
Destroys naive beliefs
disillusions · disappoints · sobers · awakens · breaks the spell