Curiosity
ˌkjʊəriˈɒsɪti
Definitions
2 meaningsThe feeling of wanting to know or learn something.
ˌkjʊəriˈɒsɪti
A strong desire to know or learn something.
Her curiosity led her to explore new places.
💡 Simply: It's like when you really, really want to know something, like what's inside a wrapped present or why the sky is blue. It's that feeling that makes you ask questions and explore!
👶 For kids: Wanting to know about things. Like, why do birds fly? That's curiosity!
More Examples
The journalist's curiosity about the case fueled her investigation.
A healthy dose of curiosity is essential for learning.
How It's Used
"A child's curiosity about the world is natural."
"Scientific curiosity drives exploration and discovery."
A rare, unusual, or interesting object or piece of information.
ˌkjʊəriˈɒsɪti
A strange or unusual thing.
The antique shop was filled with curiosities.
💡 Simply: Sometimes curiosity can be a special or interesting thing. Think of a very old clock, or a weird sculpture, that makes you say, "Wow, that's a curiosity!"
👶 For kids: Something interesting that you want to look at or know more about.
More Examples
The museum featured many historical curiosities.
She collected curiosities from her travels.
How It's Used
"The museum displayed many curiosities from different eras."
"The antique shop was filled with curiosities."
Idioms & expressions
kill the cat
To satisfy curiosity and reveal a secret.
"I had to open the present—curiosity killed the cat!"
Curiosity killed the cat
Excessive inquisitiveness can lead to danger or trouble.
"He started snooping into his neighbor's business, and eventually got into a lot of trouble. Curiosity killed the cat."
From Middle English curiosite, from Old French curiosité, from Latin cūriōsitās (“eagerness for knowledge, inquisitiveness”), from cūriōsus (“careful, inquisitive”), from cūra (“care”).
The word 'curiosity' has been used since the 14th century to describe a desire to know or to inquire, often linked with scholarly or philosophical pursuits.
Memory tip
Imagine a cat, always investigating everything – that's curiosity!