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curiosity

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curiosity

  • /ˌkjʊə.ɹiˈɒs.ɪ.ti/ UK
  • /ˌkjɔːɹiˈɒs.ɪ.ti/ UK
  • /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/ Atlantic Canada, US
  • /ˌkjɝ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/ Atlantic Canada, US
  • [-ə.ɾi] Atlantic Canada, US
  • /-ɪ.ti/ Atlantic Canada, US
  • [-ɪ.ɾi] Atlantic Canada, US
  • /ˌkjʊəˈɹɒsəti/ dialectal, informal
  • /ˌkjɔːˈɹɒsəti/ dialectal, informal
  • /ˌkjɝˈɒsəti/ dialectal, informal

Rhymes with -ɒsɪti

Where it comes from

From Middle English curiosite, variant of curiouste, from Anglo-Norman curiouseté, from Latin cūriōsitātem, accusative of cūriōsitās. By surface analysis, curious + -ity. Displaced native Old English firwitt.

noun curiosities

  1. uncountable Inquisitiveness; the tendency to ask and learn about things by asking questions, investigating, or exploring. It was the first time that the lawyer had been received in that part of his friend's quarters; and he eyed the dingy windowless structure with curiosity, and gazed round with a distasteful sense of strangeness as he crossed the theatre, […]

    Similar: inquisitiveness · Opposite: ignorance

  2. countable, uncountable A unique or extraordinary object which arouses interest. He put the strangely shaped rock in his curiosity cabinet.
  3. countable, obsolete, uncountable Careful, delicate construction; fine workmanship, delicacy of building. wee built a homely thing like a barne, set upon Cratchets, covered with rafts, sedge, and earth, so also was the walls; the best of our houses of the like curiosity, but the most part farre much worse workmanship […]

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: curio, rarity, peculiarity, oddment, wonder, oddity, curious, inquiry, scrutiny, odd, interest, stuff, intrigue, inquisitiveness, nosiness, prying

Translations

Every language

noun inquisitiveness; the tendency to ask questions, investigate, or explore

Españolcuriosidad
한국어호기심 hogisim
日本語好奇心
中文好奇 hàoqí, 好奇心 hàoqíxīn
हिन्दीजिज्ञासा jijñāsā
Portuguêscuriosidade
Françaiscuriosité
DeutschNeugier, Neugierde
Italianocuriosità
Ελληνικάπεριέργεια periérgeia
Românăcuriozitate
Русскийлюбопы́тство ljubopýtstvo, любозна́тельность ljuboznátelʹnostʹ, пытли́вость pytlívostʹ
Tiếng Việttính/sự tò mò, tính/sự ham biết
العربيةفُضُول fuḍūl
עבריתסקרנות saqranut

noun unique or extraordinary object which arouses interest

日本語珍奇
中文有意思的東西 /有意思的东西 yǒuyìsi de dōngxi
Portuguêscuriosidade
Françaiscuriosité
DeutschKuriosität, Kuriosum
Italianocuriosità
Românăcuriozitate
Русскийдико́вина dikóvina, ре́дкость rédkostʹ, курьёз kurʹjóz
עבריתקוריוז

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Cite this
MLA

"curiosity." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/curiosity. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

curiosity. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/curiosity

Chicago

"curiosity." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/curiosity.

BibTeX
@misc{curiosity_2026,
  title = {curiosity},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/curiosity},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}