Adjacent Words

Intrigue definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

INTRIGUE, n. intree'g. [Low L. intrico, intricor,to enwrap; tricor, to trifle, to show tricks; Gr. hair or a lock of hair, as we should say, a plexus.]
1. A plot or scheme of a complicated nature, intended to effect some purpose by secret artifices. An intrigue may be formed and prosecuted by an individual,and we often hear of the intrigues of a minister or a courtier, but often several projectors are concerned in an intrigue. The word is usually applied to affairs of love or of government.
2. The plot of a play or romance; a complicated scheme of designs, actions and events, intended to awaken interest in an audience or reader, and make them wait with eager curiosity for the solution or development.
3. Intricacy; complication. [Not in use.]
INTRIGUE, v.i. intree'g. To form a plot or scheme,usually complicated, and intended to effect some purpose by secret artifices. The courtier intrigues with the minister, and the lover with his mistress.
INTRIGUE, v.t. intree'g.
To perplex or render intricate. [Not used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends [syn: intrigue, machination]
2: a clandestine love affair v
1: cause to be interested or curious [syn: intrigue, fascinate]
2: form intrigues (for) in an underhand manner [syn: scheme, intrigue, connive]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: French intricate affair, from Italian intrigo, from intrigare to entangle, from Latin intricare Date: 1609 1. a. a secret scheme ; machination b. the practice of engaging in intrigues 2. a clandestine love affair Synonyms: see plot II. verb (intrigued; intriguing) Date: 1612 transitive verb 1. cheat, trick 2. to accomplish by intrigue <intrigued myself into the club> 3. obsolete entangle 4. to arouse the interest, desire, or curiosity of <intrigued by the tale> intransitive verb to carry on an intrigue; especially plot, scheme • intriguer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. (intrigues, intrigued, intriguing) 1 intr. (foll. by with) a carry on an underhand plot. b use secret influence. 2 tr. arouse the curiosity of; fascinate. --n. 1 an underhand plot or plotting. 2 archaic a secret love affair. Derivatives: intriguer n. intriguing adj. (esp. in sense 2 of v.). intriguingly adv. Etymology: F intrigue (n.), intriguer (v.) f. It. intrigo, intrigare f. L (as INTRICATE)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Intrigue In*trigue" ([i^]n*tr[=e]g"), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Intrigued (-tr[=e]gd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Intriguing.] [F. intriguer, OF. intriquer, entriquer; cf. It. intrigare. See Intricate, Extricate.] 1. To form a plot or scheme; to contrive to accomplish a purpose by secret artifice. 2. To carry on a secret and illicit love or amour.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Intrigue In*trigue", v. t. To fill with artifice and duplicity; to complicate; to embarrass. [Obs.] How doth it [sin] perplex and intrique the whole course of your lives! --Dr. J. Scott.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Intrigue In*trigue", n. [Cf. F. intrique. See Intrigue, v. i.] 1. Intricacy; complication. [Obs.] --Sir M. Hale. 2. A complicated plot or scheme intended to effect some purpose by secret artifice; conspiracy; stratagem. Busy meddlers with intrigues of state. --Pomfret. 3. The plot or romance; a complicated scheme of designs, actions, and events. --Pope. 4. A secret and illicit love affair between two persons of different sexes; an amour; a liaison. The hero of a comedy is represented victorious in all his intrigues. --Swift. Syn: Plot; scheme; conspiracy; machination.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(intrigued) 1. Intrigue is the making of secret plans to harm or deceive people. ...political intrigue. ...a powerful story of intrigue, passion and betrayal. N-VAR: usu with supp 2. If something, especially something strange, intrigues you, it interests you and you want to know more about it. The novelty of the situation intrigued him. = fascinate VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Plot, conspiracy, cabal, machination, stratagem, manoeuvre, wile, finesse, ruse. 2. Amour, love affair, liaison, illicit intimacy. 3. Gallantry, libertinism. II. v. n. 1. Manoeuvre, form plots. 2. Carry on an amour or amours.

Moby Thesaurus

Byzantine intrigues, absorb, adulterous affair, adultery, affair, amor, amour, angle, appeal, art, artful dodge, artfulness, artifice, attract, backstairs influence, becharm, beguile, bewitch, blind, brew, cabal, captivate, carry away, cast a spell, charm, chicanery, cogitate, collogue, collude, collusion, complicity, complot, concoct, confederacy, connections, connivance, connive, conspiracy, conspire, contrivance, contrive, contriving, cook up, countermine, counterplot, coup, covin, craft, craftiness, credibility gap, cuckoldry, cute trick, deals, deceit, deceitfulness, deception, deep-laid plot, design, device, devise, disingenuousness, dodge, double-dealing, enchant, engineer, engineering, enrapture, enravish, entanglement, enthrall, entrance, eternal triangle, excite, expedient, fakement, falseheartedness, fascinate, feint, fetch, finagle, finagling, finesse, flirtation, forbidden love, forswearing, frame, frame up, frame-up, fraud, gambit, game, games, gerrymander, gimmick, grift, guile, hanky-panky, hatch, hatch a plot, hatch up, hypnotize, illicit love, infatuate, infidelity, influence peddling, insincerity, interest, intimacy, intrigues, jockey, jugglery, knavery, lay a plot, liaison, little game, lobbying, lobbyism, love affair, machinate, machination, maneuver, maneuvering, manipulate, manipulation, mesmerize, move, operate, perjury, pique, play games, plot, plotting, ploy, ploys, practice, pull strings, racket, red herring, rig, rigging, romance, romantic tie, ropes, ruse, scheme, schemery, schemes, scheming, sharp practice, shift, sleight, spell, spellbind, stratagem, strategy, strings, subterfuge, tactic, titillate, transport, triangle, trick, trickery, uncandidness, uncandor, underplot, unfaithfulness, unfrankness, unsincereness, untruthfulness, vamp, wangle, web of intrigue, wile, wily device, wire-pulling, wires, witch