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What's a good synonym for the word "interesting" or "interested"? I find that I use those words a bit too often (e.g. "I'm definitely interested!", "Yeah, that sounds really interesting, I would love learning more about it!", "That's interesting!", etc.)... but I can't seem to find any good synonyms. (Online sites don't really give me good synonyms.)

Any ideas?

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11 Answers 11

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Well. Here are a few that might be apt in specific situations. But remember, it is the situation and your comfort with the phrase that works best. Do not try too hard to not sound redundant. Nobody cares about too much redundancy in spoken english.

I'm definitely interested! = Count me in; You have my attention go on (from my boss)

Yeah, that sounds really interesting, I would love learning more about it! = Sounds pretty cool to me; Goodness me, is it true;

That's interesting! = Oh Cool...; That's fantastic; That's awesome

And how about these??

"I'll keep that in mind" or " I am going to make a mental note of it "

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  • +1 interesting, so people don't care too much about redundancy? (seewhatIdidthere?)
    – user541686
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 15:58
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    @Mehrdad: people don't care too much about redundancy in spoken English; in fact a little redundancy helps to reinforce points. People are less tolerant of redundancy in written English.
    – user1579
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 16:08
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How about 'thought-provoking', 'compelling', or 'problematic'?

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    "Compelling" is perfect; I want to talk about a concept being interesting to me in relation to an interest I have, and I loathe using the same word twice unless it is poetically appropriate. This Stack Exchange answer came up on a Google search for "synonym: interesting" and has helped me in the nick of time. Thanks!
    – Jennifer Davis
    Commented Jun 24, 2012 at 3:28
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Though it's not a 100% fit -- you should be prepared to learn more if your response is followed up on -- I find that intriguing works in many such situations.

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  • Lol, sounds a little too "deep" for my taste, but +1 anyway, thanks. :)
    – user541686
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 16:04
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You probably want to stick with simpler words to express approval or interest. Words like cool, great, sweet, awesome, etc., are fine slang expressions to indicate interest but can even be used in a non-committal way.

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  • "Would you like to work on this project?" -> "Why yes, that's sweet!" (wha?!?!) But yeah, the others actually fit in here pretty well. +1
    – user541686
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 15:59
  • +1, these are good ones too. Often used in everyday life (and chat ;-)
    – Alain Pannetier Φ
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 16:00
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    @Mehrdad: "Sweet" would be said on it's own. Person 1: "Hey, you get to work on that project." Person 2: "Sweet!" (Also "Sweeeet!" and "Suh-weeeeet!")
    – Robusto
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 16:02
  • Ooh d'oh, good point. Totally forgot about its other use. :)
    – user541686
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 16:03
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Edited

For "I would love learning more about it" you might also say

  • "That's worth looking into".

For "I can't find my glasses -- that's interesting"

  • "I can't find my glasses -- Oh, that's weird!"
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  • Thanks! Often those are awkward/weird, though: "That's appealing!" (huh?), "That's remarkable!" (doesn't always make sense, if it's something like "I can't find my glasses -- that's interesting.."), "That's noteworthy!" (not really said in speech much), "That's exciting!" (again, see the glasses example).
    – user541686
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 15:45
  • I don't know, Alain, some of these might work in the OP's context and some might not. To call something "fascinating" might be construed as sarcasm, while "noteworthy" is simply not something people use to express an interest in something. "Wow, cool! That's really noteworthy!" How could that not be felt as sarcasm?
    – Robusto
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 15:47
  • @Mehrdad, I edited my answer. I think it's closer to what you're after.
    – Alain Pannetier Φ
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 15:56
  • Yeah those are a lot better, thanks. +1 :)
    – user541686
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 15:57
  • Better. I don't know about "Worth going further into ..." Sounds awkward. Maybe "That's worth another look," or "That's worth a second look," etc.
    – Robusto
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 15:59
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What counts as a synonym for interested, interesting, etc. depends on your intent. Based on how you've used interesting in the posts on this page, I am going to hazard a guess and say that one of your uses of interesting is to indicate that you are somewhat uncertain about something, e.g., maybe it is unclear what the other person has said, or uncertain about how to reply. The point here is not to psycho-analyze, but rather to suggest that, instead of trying to find a synonym for interesting, perhaps you might consider simply using it less often, or even choose to simply not say anything if it's something that's unimportant to you.

In any case, even if you do find suitable synonyms, eventually you'll get tired of those, too, and sooner-or-later, we will run out of English words to suggest, which will lead to all of us spending countless hours making up new words for you, which will lead to significantly lower productivity world-wide, which will lead to an eventual global financial meltdown, global chaos, and the end of civilization. Which would be interesting, I guess. :-)

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I've heard the Singaporeans/Malaysians say this - "I'll keep that in view".

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  • Isn't that akin to what we say in India - "I'll keep that in mind" or " I am going to make a mental note of it "
    – Sri Atluru
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 16:19
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    In the US "I'll keep that in mind" can be dismissive rather than an expression of interest. "You should completely redo this product of yours so it meets my specialized needs perfectly." "I'll keep that in mind."
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 16:21
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Spock drew a distinction between Interesting and

Fascinating

Fascinating is a word I use for the unexpected. In this case, I should think interesting would suffice.

(from Star Trek's The Squire of Gothos)

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    Don't we have a "no Star Trek references" stipulation in the FAQ?
    – Kit Z. Fox ♦
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 16:46
  • And what's about Master Yoda?
    – stacker
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 18:54
  • That sounds fascinating. The phrase often implies sarcasm.
    – Mark McLaren
    Commented May 8, 2012 at 7:24
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Alain has some good synonyms (I use "appealing" in cases like yours). It sounds from your comment to him that a synonym might not actually be what you're looking for. A phrase conveying the same idea as "I'm definitely interested" is "You've got my attention". (This works in the case where somebody else proposed an idea; it's not going to help with your search for your glasses.)

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    +1 interesting observation! (seewhatIdidthere?)
    – user541686
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 15:55
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Here are my two coins:

Captivating
Enthralling.

As in, "I'm definitely captivated!", "That sounds enthralling!"

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absorbing, attractive, captivating, enchanting, appealing, seductive

Taken from http://www.wie-sagt-man-noch.de/synonyme/interesting

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