mesmerize
verb
Arnold Plotnick
Did you know?
Experts can’t agree on whether Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) was a quack or a genius, but all concede that the Swabian physician's name is the source of the word mesmerize. In his day, Mesmer was the toast of Paris, where he enjoyed the support of notables including Queen Marie Antoinette. He treated patients with therapeutic procedures (called, appropriately enough, mesmerism) involving what he claimed was a mysterious force termed animal magnetism. (Many believe that mesmerism was what we now call hypnotism). Accordingly, the verb mesmerize was first used to mean "to subject to mesmerism" before broadening to be synonymous with hypnotize, and later to mean "to amaze or captivate."
Examples of mesmerize in a Sentence
Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
Here's how to spot elusive 'night-shining' clouds The mesmerizing wave-like patterns seen in Watson's timelapse are the result of nearby thunderstorms producing gravity waves in the upper atmosphere.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 28 May 2025
That might not sound that exciting, but in low lighting, the massive illuminated tanks of pulsating jellies feel like a mesmerizing alien art exhibit.
—Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 27 May 2025
Miniaturist Amanda Kelly, the first artist-in-residence at the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures in Tucson, Ariz., says the concept of control can play into why people are mesmerized by miniatures.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 19 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Mesmerize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mesmerize. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
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mesmerize
transitive verb
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