# intrigue

Pronunciation: say "in-TREEG" US /ɪnˈtɹiɡ/, UK /ɪnˈtɹiːɡ/

## Verb

1. To capture someone's curiosity and make them want to know more.
   - Simple: To make someone very interested or curious about something.
   - _The unsolved case intrigued detectives for decades._
   - _Strange coincidences intrigue scientists who study probability._
3. To devise or pursue a secret scheme, especially one meant to harm; to plot.
   - Simple: To secretly make plans to harm or trick someone.
   - _The ministers intrigued to undermine the new chancellor._
   - _Courtiers intrigue endlessly, each seeking the king's favor._
6. To carry on a secret, illicit romantic or sexual relationship.
   - Simple: To carry on a secret love affair.
   - _The two courtiers intrigued behind their spouses' backs for years._
   - _Rumor held that the pair continued to intrigue long after the scandal._
7. To fill with trickery and deceit; to make tangled and complicated.
   - Simple: To make something tangled and full of secret tricks.
   - _Endless amendments intrigued the once-clear treaty beyond recognition._
   - _Schemers intrigue every negotiation they touch._

## Noun

Pronunciation: say "IN-treeg" US /ˈɪntɹiɡ/, UK /ˈɪntɹiːɡ/

2. A complicated, secret plot to achieve some purpose through hidden trickery; a conspiracy or scheme.
   - Simple: A secret plan to get something by tricking other people.
   - _The court seethed with intrigue as rival factions maneuvered for the throne._
   - _Her novel captures the intrigue of Cold War espionage._
4. A secret love affair; an illicit romantic or sexual relationship carried on in private.
   - Simple: A secret romantic affair between two people.
   - _Court gossip hinted at intrigue between the queen and her secretary._
   - _Their intrigue continued in secret for years._
5. The plot of a play, poem, or story: the web of complications a writer creates for the characters.
   - Simple: The main plot of a story, play, or poem.
   - _Critics praised the tight intrigue of the new tragedy._
   - _The novel's intrigue weaves three families into one disaster._

## Origin

Borrowed from French intrigue, from Italian intricare, from Latin intrīcō ('I entangle, perplex, embarrass'). It is a doublet of intricate.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/intrigue (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).