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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

intrigue en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ɪnˈtɹiːɡ/
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈɪntɹiːɡ/
  • ĭn'trēg

Etymology

Borrowed from French intrigue, from Italian intricare, from Latin intrīcō (“to entangle, perplex, embarrass”). Doublet of intricate.

Meanings

  1. (countable, uncountable) A complicated or clandestine plot or scheme intended to affect some purpose by secret artifice; conspiracy; stratagem; the practice of engaging in hidden schemes.
    • […] lost in such a jungle of intrigues, pettifoggings, treacheries, diplomacies domestic and foreign […] 1858–1865, Thomas Carlyle, History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC:
    • His betrayal was the beginning of a complex intrigue intended to give him control of the company.
  2. (countable, uncountable) A complicated or clandestine plot or scheme intended to affect some purpose by secret artifice; conspiracy; stratagem; the practice of engaging in hidden schemes. ▸ Clandestine intercourse between persons; illicit intimacy; a liaison or affair.
    • I suspect Suzanne and her mysterious friend of being involved in an intrigue.
    • I often used to smile at a young Ensign of the Guards, who always popped [pawned] his sword and watch when he wanted cash for an intrigue; […] 1773, The Westminster Magazine, Or, The Pantheon of Taste:
    • In 1679 and 1680 there were persistent rumors of an intrigue between Mary, Lady Grey, and the Duke of Monmouth. 1976, John Harold Wilson, Court Satires of the Restoration, page 245:
    • He proposed to call witnesses to show how the prisoner, a profligate and spendthrift, had been at the end of his financial tether, and had also been carrying on an intrigue with a certain Mrs. Raikes, a neighbouring farmer’s wife. 1920, Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, London: Pan Books, published 1954, page 152:
    • Morality at Delli is at as low an ebb as in the far interior of Brazil, and crimes are connived at which would entail infamy and criminal prosecution in Europe. While I was there it was generally asserted and believed in the place, that two officers had poisoned the husbands of women with whom they were carrying on intrigues, and with whom they immediately cohabited on the death of their rivals. 1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume I, London: Macmillan and Co., page 309:
  3. (countable, uncountable) A complicated or clandestine plot or scheme intended to affect some purpose by secret artifice; conspiracy; stratagem; the practice of engaging in hidden schemes. ▸ The plot of a play, poem or romance; the series of complications in which a writer involves their imaginary characters.
    • The story's intrigue was boring and reminiscent of a thousand better movies.
  4. (countable, uncountable) A desire to understand something; interest or fascination.
    • Your idea has aroused my intrigue.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
intrigues Number=Plur lexicographic
entrigue alternative, obsolete lexicographic

Deriveds

counterintrigue · palace intrigue

Synonyms

machination · machination · machination

Translations (76)

da intrige (plot or scheme) · fr intrigue (plot or scheme) · mi kara (plot or scheme) · tg дасиса (plot or scheme) · sh спле̏тка (plot or scheme) · is brögð (plot or scheme) · pt intriga (plot or scheme) · et intriig (plot or scheme) · es intriga (plot or scheme) · pl romans (clandestine intercourse) · nb intrige (plot or scheme) · ru интри́га (plot or scheme) · es argumento (the plot of a play) · bg та́йна любо́вна връ́зка (clandestine intercourse) · hy բանսարկություն (plot or scheme) · sh ѝнтрӣга (plot or scheme) · cs intrika (plot or scheme) · uz fitna (plot or scheme) · mk фа́була (the plot of a play) · pl intryga (plot or scheme) · bg интри́га (clandestine intercourse) · ca intriga (plot or scheme) · uk інтри́га (plot or scheme) · fa انتریگ (plot or scheme) · el ραδιουργία (plot or scheme) · fi juoni (plot or scheme) · tg фитна (plot or scheme) · bg интри́га (the plot of a play) · fr intrigue (the plot of a play) · sv intrig (plot or scheme) · ar دَسِيسَة (plot or scheme) · sk intriga (plot or scheme) · mk и́нтрига (plot or scheme) · tr dolantı (the plot of a play) · ru фа́була (the plot of a play) · sh splȅtka (plot or scheme) · pl fabuła (the plot of a play) · hi साज़िश (plot or scheme) · cmn 陰謀 /阴谋 (plot or scheme) · bg интри́га (plot or scheme) · mk спле́тка (plot or scheme) · ko 음모 (plot or scheme) · pl schadzka (clandestine intercourse) · el δολοπλοκία (plot or scheme) · hu cselszövés (plot or scheme) · cmn 密謀 /密谋 (plot or scheme) · ja 陰謀 (plot or scheme) · tl pungka (plot or scheme) · be інтры́га (plot or scheme) · lt intriga (plot or scheme) · nl intrige (plot or scheme) · it intrigo (plot or scheme) · lv intriga (plot or scheme) · eo intrigo (plot or scheme) · fa دسیسه (plot or scheme) · ro intrigă (plot or scheme) · fi salajuoni (plot or scheme) · bg машина́ция (plot or scheme) · sl spletka (plot or scheme) · hi षड्यंत्र (plot or scheme) · ru сюже́т (the plot of a play) · el πλοκή (the plot of a play) · ota فتنه (plot or scheme) · hu intrika (plot or scheme) · ota فساد (plot or scheme) · hu ármány (plot or scheme) · el μηχανορραφία (plot or scheme) · mk сиже́ (the plot of a play) · cs pleticha (plot or scheme) · sh ìntrīga (plot or scheme) · ka ინტრიგა (plot or scheme) · tr entrika (plot or scheme) · ca intriga (the plot of a play) · fa فتنه (plot or scheme) · hu áskálódás (plot or scheme) · de Intrige (plot or scheme)

intrigue en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /ɪnˈtɹiːɡ/
  • /ˈɪntɹiːɡ/
  • ĭntrēg'
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from French intrigue, from Italian intricare, from Latin intrīcō (“to entangle, perplex, embarrass”). Doublet of intricate.

Meanings

  1. (intransitive) To conceive or carry out a secret plan intended to harm; to form a plot or scheme.
  2. (transitive) To arouse the interest of; to fascinate.
    • Scenic illusions such as those caused by the haze, or the apparent diminution of scale where everything was enormous, intrigued Dutton. 1954, Wallace Stegner, Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West, Houghton Mifflin, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 170:
    • These pictorial devices are indispensable tools for presenting evidence, for explaining a theory, for telling a story. And, on top of all that, they are ornaments; they entice and intrigue and sometimes delight. 2012 March, Brian Hayes, “Pixels or Perish”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 19 Feb 2013, page 106:
  3. (intransitive) To have clandestine or illicit intercourse.
  4. (transitive) To fill with artifice and duplicity; to complicate.
    • And as wililye as thoſe ſhrewes that beguyle hym haue holpe hym to inuolue and intryke the matter: I ſhall vſe ſo playn and open a way therin, that euery man ſhall well ſee the trouth. 1533 (date written), Thomas More, “The Debellacyon of Salem and Bizance […]. Chapter XVIJ.”, in Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], editor, The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, […], London: […] Iohn Cawod, Iohn Waly, and Richarde Tottell, published 30 April 1557, →OCLC, page 1004, column 2:
    • How doth it [sin] perplex and intrigue the whole course of your lives! c. 1681, John Scott, The Christian Life from Its Beginning to Its Consummation in Glory […]:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
entrigue alternative, obsolete lexicographic
intrigued Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
intrigued Tense=Past lexicographic
intrigues Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
intriguing Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Deriveds

outintrigue

Relateds

intriguing · intricate · intriguery · intricacy · intriguer · intriguingly

Translations (52)

mk ко́пка (to arouse interest) · pl zaintrygować (to arouse interest) · it intrigare (to arouse interest) · pl planować (to plan) · fi kiehtoa (to arouse interest) · hu ármánykodik (to plan) · sv intrigera (to plan) · it intrigare (to plan) · pl zaplanować (to plan) · ru стро́ить ко́зни (to plan) · ru интересова́ть (to arouse interest) · mk у́мисли (to plan) · fi juonitella (to plan) · cmn 引起奇心 (to arouse interest) · de faszinieren (to arouse interest) · ru заинтригова́ть (to arouse interest) · nl intrigeren (to plan) · hu áskálódik (to plan) · mk интереси́ра (to arouse interest) · da intrigere (to plan) · ru заинтересова́ть (to arouse interest) · cmn 搞陰謀 /搞阴谋 (to plan) · bg сплетнича (to plan) · fr intriguer (to plan) · bg интриганствам (to plan) · eo intrigi (to plan) · hu cselt sző (to plan) · pt intrigar (to arouse interest) · fr conspirer (to plan) · ru интригова́ть (to arouse interest) · fa شیفته کردن (to arouse interest) · mk кро́и (to plan) · fr intriguer (to arouse interest) · pt intrigar (to plan) · es intrigar (to arouse interest) · es intrigar (to plan) · pl intrygować (to arouse interest) · ru замышля́ть (to plan) · mk за́копка (to arouse interest) · mk интриги́ра (to arouse interest) · ca intrigar (to plan) · mk заинтереси́ра (to arouse interest) · ca intrigar (to arouse interest) · hu intrikál (to plan) · cmn 密謀 /密谋 (to plan) · mk заинтриги́ра (to arouse interest) · mi whakangārahu (to plan) · nl intrigeren (to arouse interest) · de intrigieren (to plan) · mk проекти́ра (to plan) · ru замы́слить (to plan) · bg интригувам (to arouse interest)