¹intrigue

noun in·trigue \ˈin-ˌtrēg, in-ˈ\

: the activity of making secret plans

: a secret plan

Full Definition of INTRIGUE

a : a secret scheme : machination

b : the practice of engaging in secret schemes

: a clandestine love affair

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Examples of INTRIGUE

Rolston's work channels the vampish intrigue of vintage Hollywood with a sense of irony and wit that makes the work truly modern. —Stephanie Sung, Picture, September/October 2008
In this, as in any other enterprise where there is the promise of money, intrigues and lies and hoodwinking and bullying abound. —Alice Munro, “Hard-Luck Stories,” in In the Stacks, 2002
The story began to take on a warm, attractive glow as a Highland romantic epic of heroism and villainy, of intrigue and bravery, complete with comely maidens such as Flora MacDonald and handsome heroes such as Bonnie Prince Charlie himself. —Arthur Herman, How the Scots Invented the Modern World, 2001
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Origin of INTRIGUE

French intricate affair, from Italian intrigo, from intrigare to entangle, from Latin intricare (see intricate)

First Known Use: 1609

Related to INTRIGUE

Synonyms: conspiracy, design, plot, machination, scheme

Synonym Discussion of INTRIGUE

plot, intrigue, machination, conspiracy, cabal mean a plan secretly devised to accomplish an evil or treacherous end. plot implies careful foresight in planning a complex scheme <an assassination plot>. intrigue suggests secret underhanded maneuvering in an atmosphere of duplicity <backstairs intrigue>. machination implies a contriving of annoyances, injuries, or evils by indirect means <the machinations of a party boss>. conspiracy implies a secret agreement among several people usually involving treason or great treachery <a conspiracy to fix prices>. cabal typically applies to political intrigue involving persons of some eminence <a cabal among powerful senators>.

Rhymes with INTRIGUE

big-league, blitzkrieg, bush-league, colleague, fatigue, garigue, squeteague

²intrigue

verb in·trigue \in-ˈtrēg\

: to make (someone) want to know more about something : to cause (someone) to become interested

: to make secret plans

in·triguedin·trigu·ing

Full Definition of INTRIGUE

transitive verb

: cheat, trick

: to get, make, or accomplish by secret scheming <intrigued myself into the club>

obsolete : entangle

: to arouse the interest, desire, or curiosity of <intrigued by the tale>

intransitive verb

: to carry on an intrigue (see ¹intrigue); especially : plot, scheme

— in·trigu·er noun

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Examples of INTRIGUE

One day during math study period, after I'd finished my regular assignment, I took out a fresh sheet of paper and tried to solve a problem that had intrigued me: whether the first player in a game of ticktacktoe can always win, given the right strategy. —Martin Gardner, Scientific American, August 1998
Bundy was also a man whose thinking in foreign affairs was extremely conventional… but who in the area of domestic policy was curiously more open-minded and unconventional, so that throughout the Kennedy years, friends would be intrigued by the difference in Bundy. —David Halberstam, Harper's, July 1969
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