Inquisitive — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

showing curiosity

inquiring or appearing to inquire

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɪŋkwˈɪzᵻtˌɪv/

🇬🇧British English

/ɪŋkwˈɪzɪtˌɪv/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɪŋkwˈɪzɪtˌɪv/

4 syllables Say it as /ɪŋkwˈɪzᵻtˌɪv/.

Examples

if someone saw a man climbing a light post they might get inquisitive
raised a speculative eyebrow
an inquiring look

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

wondering speculative questioning

Parts of Speech

adjective	showing curiosity “if someone saw a man climbing a light post they might get inquisitive”
adjective	inquiring or appearing to inquire “an inquiring look”

Word Forms

inquisitiveness	noun	a state of active curiosity
inquire	verb	have a wish or desire to know something
speculate	verb	reflect deeply on a subject

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

neugierig

Neugier zeigen

🇫🇷French

curieux

faire preuve de curiosité

🇪🇸Spanish

inquisitivo

mostrando curiosidad

🇮🇹Italian

curioso

mostrando curiosità

🇳🇱Dutch

nieuwsgierig

nieuwsgierigheid tonen

🇵🇹Portuguese

curioso

mostrando curiosidade

🇷🇺Russian

любознательный

проявляя любопытство

India

🇮🇳Hindi

जिज्ञासु

जिज्ञासा दिखा रहा है

🇧🇩Bengali

অনুসন্ধিৎসু

কৌতূহল দেখাচ্ছে

🇮🇳Tamil

ஆர்வமுள்ள

ஆர்வம் காட்டும்

🇮🇳Telugu

పరిశోధనాత్మకమైన

ఉత్సుకత చూపిస్తున్నారు

🇮🇳Marathi

जिज्ञासू

कुतूहल दाखवत आहे

🇮🇳Gujarati

જિજ્ઞાસુ

જિજ્ઞાસા દર્શાવે છે

🇮🇳Kannada

ಜಿಜ್ಞಾಸೆಯ

ಕುತೂಹಲ ತೋರಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

അന്വേഷണാത്മക

ജിജ്ഞാസ കാണിക്കുന്നു

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਪੁੱਛਗਿੱਛ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ

ਉਤਸੁਕਤਾ ਦਿਖਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

جستجو کرنے والا

تجسس دکھا رہا ہے

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

好奇

表现出好奇心

🇯🇵Japanese

好奇心旺盛な

好奇心を示す

🇰🇷Korean

알고 싶어하는

호기심을 보이는

🇻🇳Vietnamese

tò mò

thể hiện sự tò mò

🇹🇭Thai

อยากรู้อยากเห็น

แสดงความอยากรู้อยากเห็น

🇮🇩Indonesian

ingin tahu

menunjukkan rasa ingin tahu

🇵🇭Filipino

matanong

nagpapakita ng kuryusidad

🇲🇾Malay

ingin tahu

menunjukkan rasa ingin tahu

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

فضولي

إظهار الفضول

🇮🇷Persian

کنجکاو

نشان دادن کنجکاوی

🇹🇷Turkish

meraklı

merak göstermek

🇮🇱Hebrew

סַקרָן

מראה סקרנות

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'inquisitive'?

The primary meaning of 'inquisitive' is 'showing curiosity'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'inquisitive' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'inquisitive' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'inquisitive' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'inquisitive' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'inquisitive' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'inquisitive' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'inquisitive' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'inquisitive' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'inquisitive' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'inquisitive' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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