curiosity
/ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.97 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
5
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Inquisitiveness; the tendency to ask and learn about things by asking questions, investigating, or exploring.
Uncountable
noun
Careful, delicate construction; fine workmanship, delicacy of building.
Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "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, […]"
- ""Certainly there is nothing wrong with Alvin's intelligence, but many of the things that should concern him seem to be a matter of complete indifference. On the other hand, he shows a morbid curiosity regarding subjects which we do not generally discuss.""
- "They learn that reading, besides being something one does at school, is also something one can do on one's own, for fun, to satisfy curiosity, or even to "expand one's horizons.”"
- "Curiosity about the power of self-control skills, which include conscientiousness, self-discipline, and perseverance, arose from recent empirical observations that preschool Head Start, an ambitious, federally funded program of special services launched in 1965 to boost the intellectual development of needy children, has failed to achieve the goal of boosting IQ scores. But the programs have unexpectedly succeeded in lowering the former pupils’ rates of teen pregnancy, school dropout, delinquency, and work absenteeism."
- "He put the strangely shaped rock in his curiosity cabinet."
- "[The room] was adorned with a great number of nicknacks and curiosities, which might have engaged the attention of a virtuoso."
Etymology
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: curiosite, curiouseté, cūriōsitātem
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/
- British English: /ˌkjʊə.ɹiˈɒs.ɪ.ti/