CAPTIVATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does captivation mean? 

• CAPTIVATION (noun)
  The noun CAPTIVATION has 2 senses:

1. the state of being intensely interested (as by awe or terror)

2. a feeling of great liking for something wonderful and unusual

  Familiarity information: CAPTIVATION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CAPTIVATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The state of being intensely interested (as by awe or terror)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

captivation; fascination

Hypernyms ("captivation" is a kind of...):

enchantment; spell; trance (a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation)

Derivation:

captivate (attract; cause to be enamored)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A feeling of great liking for something wonderful and unusual

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

captivation; enchantment; enthrallment; fascination

Hypernyms ("captivation" is a kind of...):

liking (a feeling of pleasure and enjoyment)

Derivation:

captivate (attract; cause to be enamored)

 Context examples 

That was the captivation of it to me.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Undoubtedly, replied Darcy, to whom this remark was chiefly addressed, there is a meanness in all the arts which ladies sometimes condescend to employ for captivation.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)