riveting

adjective

riv·​et·​ing ˈri-və-tiŋ How to pronounce riveting (audio)
Synonyms of rivetingnext
: having the power to fix the attention : engrossing, fascinating
a riveting story
rivetingly
ˈri-və-tiŋ-lē How to pronounce riveting (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of riveting

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of riveting in a Sentence

a riveting explanation of light waves that fascinated the class
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
All of this, mind you, is far more riveting than the car chase scenes in Disclosure Day. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 19 June 2026 The result was a set of riveting political thrillers. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 17 June 2026 The 2026 World Cup is off to a vibrant, riveting start. — Christopher Hamill, New York Times, 15 June 2026 The show has a long history with Annecy, as WBA announced it here three years ago, before bringing it to a riveting work-in-progress session last year in Annecy as well. — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for riveting

Word History

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of riveting was in 1677

Rhymes for riveting

See All Rhymes for riveting

Browse Nearby Words

rivet hole
riveting
riveting die
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Riveting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riveting. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on riveting

Nglish: Translation of riveting for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All