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
John Kaag, The Atlantic, 28 May 2025
As the living embodiment of that rage, the mesmerizing Izadyar comes to resemble a furious, wide-eyed wraith—an almost mythical agent of retribution.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
Norman Powell has scored at least 20 in three of his last four, and his third-quarter heat-check on Thursday was mesmerizing.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 3 May 2025
At night, the festival transforms into a mesmerizing light show, as balloons illuminate in perfect sync with music.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Mesmerize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mesmerize. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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mesmerize
transitive verb
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