curious
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- inquiring, inquisitive, interested, questioning, searching
- inquisitive, meddling, nosy (informal), prying
- unusual, bizarre, extraordinary, mysterious, novel, odd, peculiar, rare, strange, unexpected

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Antonyms: incurious
Contrasted words: aloof, detached, disinterested, indifferent, unconcerned, uninterested, apathetic, impassive, phlegmatic, stolid
Related Idioms: consumed (or burning or eaten up) with curiosity, curious as a cat (or monkey)
Related Words: searching, analytical, prurient, interfering, intermeddling, meddling, tampering, examining, inspecting, scrutinizing, impertinent, intrusive, meddlesome

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English Thesaurus: interested, fascinated, curious, intrigued, be into something, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

cu‧ri‧ous S3 /ˈkjʊəriəs $ ˈkjʊr-/ adjective
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: curios, from Latin curiosus 'careful, wanting to know', from cura; ⇒ cure¹]

1. wanting to know about something ⇒ inquisitive:
Puppies are naturally curious.
curious about
He was curious about how she would react.
curious to know/see/hear etc
Mandy was curious to know what happened.
curious look/glance
Her shouting attracted some curious glances from other people in the restaurant.

2. strange or unusual:
He felt a curious mixture of excitement and panic.
a curious coincidence
It’s curious that she left without saying goodbye.
—curiously adverb:
‘What have you got in there?’ Felix asked curiously.
She felt curiously calm.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

curious
adj.
I. eager to find out about sb/sth
VERBS be, feel, seem | became, get, grow | remain | make sb Her secretive manner had made me curious.
ADV. deeply, extremely, intensely, very I was intensely curious to know more about him.
a little, mildly, rather, slightly | frankly She coped with the frankly curious looks of the men.
genuinely | idly He saw a book on the table and picked it up, idly curious.
naturally Puppies are naturally curious.
PREP. about I was curious about how she would react.
as to She was curious as to why he was there.
PHRASES curious to find out/know/see sb/sth

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

curious
II. strange/unusual
VERBS be, feel, look, seem, smell, taste | find sb/sth
ADV. extremely, very I find it very curious that you did not tell anyone.
a little, rather, slightly, somewhat The wine tasted rather curious.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

curious
adjective
BAD: I was curious what she would look like.
GOOD: I was curious to know what she would look like.
BAD: I'm very curious of the country and its inhabitants.
GOOD: I'm very curious about the country and its inhabitants.

Usage Note:
curious about/as to : 'I'm curious as to how he knows our address.'
curious to see/know etc: 'We're all curious to see what his new girlfriend is like.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

interested [not usually before noun] giving your attention to something because you want to know more about it or you enjoy it:
Recently I've got very interested in photography.
fascinated [not usually before noun] very interested by something you see, read, or hear about:
She watched, fascinated, as the bird came closer until she could almost touch it.
The more I read about the place, the more fascinated I became.
curious wanting to find out more information about something:
Small children are naturally curious.
I was curious to find out the reasons for his sudden departure.
intrigued [not before noun] interested in something because it seems strange or mysterious:
He was intrigued by her story.
be into something informal used when talking about the kind of things you are interested in and enjoy doing:
Are you into classical music?
I got into (=became interested in) yoga when I was at college.
absorbed/engrossed in something [not before noun] very interested in something, so that you give it all your attention and do not notice anything else:
Jane was lying on the sofa engrossed in a novel.
She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn't hear me call.
gripped/riveted [not before noun] very interested, especially in a story you are reading, a film you are watching etc, so that you are eager to find out what happens next:
It was a brilliant book and I was gripped from beginning to end.
I was so riveted by the film that I forgot the time.
enthralled written very interested and enjoying something very much, so that you want to see or hear more:
From the opening line of the play, the audience was completely enthralled.
spellbound [not before noun] written extremely interested in something very strange or wonderful, so that you are unable to move or think of anything else:
He could hold audiences spellbound with the power of his voice.
They all listened, spellbound.
rapt formal showing by your expression that you are very interested in something and are giving all your attention to it:
He spoke before a rapt audience.
The congregation listened with rapt attention.
be all ears informal to be extremely interested in what someone is telling you:
Tell me exactly what happened. I'm all ears.
not interested not wanting to know about something or give it your attention:
I just wasn't at all interested in science at school.
uninterested not interested in wanting to know about something, especially something you are told:
When I tried to tell her about my holiday, she seemed completely uninterested.
apathetic not interested in a particular problem or situation, so that you are not willing to make an effort to change and improve things:
Voters have become increasingly apathetic.
indifferent having no interest in someone or something, and often not caring about them:
Sometimes the government seems indifferent to the problems of the poor.
somebody couldn't care less spoken used when saying that someone does not care at all about something and is not interested in it:
I couldn't care less what other people think.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

strange unusual or surprising, especially in a way that is difficult to understand, or that is a little frightening:
What’s that strange noise downstairs?
That’s strange – I’m sure I left my keys on the table.
a strange old man
funny/odd especially spoken a little strange and making you feel slightly surprised or worried:
There’s a funny smell in the kitchen.
It’s odd that you can’t remember him at all.
curious especially written strange, especially in an interesting way. Curious is a little more formal than strange:
a curious fact
There’s something rather curious about small-town America.
She remembered curious little details.
mysterious strange – used about something that people know little about and are unable to explain or understand:
He had disappeared in mysterious circumstances.
There were reports of mysterious lights in the sky.
eccentric strange in a way that seems slightly crazy and amusing – used about people and their behaviour:
He lived completely alone and had some slightly eccentric habits.
an eccentric old lady
peculiar slightly strange, and different from what you would normally expect – used especially when this is either amusing or worrying:
She sometimes wears rather peculiar clothes.
He had a peculiar expression on his face.
weird very strange or very different from what you are used to:
I had a weird dream last night.
It’s a weird and wonderful place.
bizarre extremely strange and different from what is usually considered normal:
It was a bizarre situation.
Mark’s behaviour was really bizarre.
surreal extremely strange and unconnected with real life or normal experiences, like something out of a dream:
His paintings are full of surreal images.
There is something surreal about the climate change talks in Bali.
The plant’s flowers were so big that they seemed almost surreal
uncanny very strange – used especially about someone having an unusual ability to do something, or looking surprisingly similar to someone:
She had an uncanny knack (=ability) of putting her finger right on a problem.
Alice had an uncanny resemblance to Josie.
his uncanny ability to pick racing winners

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲