curiosity

curiosity — noun

1. the strong feeling of wanting to find out more about something that catches your

1.nounB1
Definition

the strong feeling of wanting to find out more about something that catches your attention and makes you ask questions or explore

Example

The children's curiosity about the old lighthouse led them to explore the rocky shore.

curiosity about [topic] + leads to action

Out of pure curiosity, Minh opened the dusty box to see what was inside.

Common collocations
  • out of curiosity
  • curiosity about
  • spark curiosity
  • satisfy curiosity
  • pique curiosity
  • rouse curiosity
  • curiosity killed the cat
Synonyms
  • inquisitiveness

    more formal; often suggests asking many detailed questions, sometimes with a nosy tone

  • interest

    broader and less intense; does not imply active investigation

  • wonder

    more about amazement and admiration than active inquiry

Antonyms
  • indifference

    lack of interest or concern

  • apathy

    absence of emotion or enthusiasm about anything

Grammar Patterns

curiosity about [something]

out of curiosity

curiosity + verb (drives, leads, makes)

Usage Note

Uncountable in this sense. Do not use with 'a' or in plural ('a curiosity', 'curiosities'). Use quantifiers such as 'a sense of curiosity', 'a spark of curiosity', or 'out of curiosity'.

Common Mistakes

❖ 'I have a curiosity about how planes fly.' ✅ 'I am curious about how planes fly.' or 'I have a sense of curiosity about how planes fly.' — 'curiosity' as a desire is uncountable and does not take 'a'.

❖ 'She opened the letter with curiosities.' ✅ 'She opened the letter with curiosity.' — The plural form 'curiosities' means rare objects, not the feeling of wanting to know.

2. an object, fact, or detail that attracts attention because it is very unusual, o

2.nounB2
Definition

an object, fact, or detail that attracts attention because it is very unusual, old, or interesting to collectors

Example

The antique shop had a small shelf of curiosities from the Qing dynasty.

countable noun: a curiosity / curiosities (plural)

Inês found an old compass at the market, a curiosity once used by sailors a century ago.

Common collocations
  • a curiosity among [people]
  • local curiosity
  • museum curiosity
  • collector's curiosity
Synonyms
  • curio

    specifically a collectible curiosity, often a small decorative object; slightly dated

  • oddity

    stronger emphasis on strangeness rather than collectible value

  • rarity

    focuses on scarcity more than inherent interest or strangeness

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

a curiosity (singular)

curiosities (plural)

[noun] + is a curiosity

Usage Note

Countable in this sense. Use with 'a' in singular and 'curiosities' in plural. The object is usually a physical item, but the word can also describe a noteworthy fact or detail that surprises people because it is so unusual.

Common Mistakes

❖ 'The shop was full of curiosity.' ✅ 'The shop was full of curiosities.' — When referring to objects, 'curiosity' is countable and needs a determiner or plural form.

❖ 'I bought a beautiful curiosity at the market' (meaning an odd, interesting item). ✅ This is correct! But note that 'a curiosity' always means a rare/unusual thing, not a feeling.

Idioms

curiosity killed the cat

idiom

used to warn someone not to ask too many questions or try to find out things that do not involve them, because it could lead to trouble

"Where did you get that information?" — "Better not ask. Curiosity killed the cat."

Romi wanted to read her sister's diary, but she reminded herself that curiosity killed the cat.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Curiosity is the strongest of these four, describing an active, eager drive to find out something unknown. Inquisitiveness is more formal and often suggests someone who asks many pointed questions, sometimes with a nosy edge. Interest is the broadest and mildest — you can be interested in many things without feeling a strong need to investigate. Wonder leans toward quiet admiration and amazement, like looking up at a starry sky, rather than the question-driven energy of curiosity. Use curiosity when someone actively seeks answers; use wonder when they are simply struck by something beautiful or extraordinary. For example: “Minh’s curiosity about the locked drawer drove him to find the key,” but “Minh felt wonder at the vastness of the Grand Canyon.”

curiosity ↗inquisitivenessinterest ↗wonder ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Curiosity comes from the Latin word 'curiositas', meaning 'carefulness' or 'eagerness to know', formed from 'curiosus' (careful, inquisitive). 'Curiosus' itself comes from 'cura' (care, concern). The word entered English through Old French 'curiosité' in the 1300s, originally meaning 'careful attention'. By the 1600s it had developed both modern senses: the desire to learn, and an object that excites interest because of its strangeness.