curious

[ kyoor-ee-uhs ]
/ ˈkyʊər i əs /

adjective

eager to learn or know; inquisitive.
prying; meddlesome.
arousing or exciting speculation, interest, or attention through being inexplicable or highly unusual; odd; strange: a curious sort of person; a curious scene.
Archaic.
  1. made or prepared skillfully.
  2. done with painstaking accuracy or attention to detail: a curious inquiry.
  3. careful; fastidious.
  4. marked by intricacy or subtlety.

Origin of curious

1275–1325; Middle English < Latin cūriōsus careful, inquisitive, equivalent to cūri- (combining form of cūra care) + -ōsus -ous. See cure

synonym study for curious

2. Curious, inquisitive, meddlesome, prying refer to taking an undue (and petty) interest in others' affairs. Curious implies a desire to know what is not properly one's concern: curious about a neighbor's habits. Inquisitive implies asking impertinent questions in an effort to satisfy curiosity: inquisitive about a neighbor's habits. Meddlesome implies thrusting oneself into and taking an active part in other people's affairs entirely unasked and unwelcomed: a meddlesome cousin who tries to run the affairs of a family. Prying implies a meddlesome and persistent inquiring into others' affairs: a prying reporter inquiring into the secrets of a business firm.

OTHER WORDS FROM curious

Example sentences from the Web for curious

British Dictionary definitions for curious

curious
/ (ˈkjʊərɪəs) /

adjective

eager to learn; inquisitive
overinquisitive; prying
interesting because of oddness or novelty; strange; unexpected
rare (of workmanship, etc) highly detailed, intricate, or subtle
obsolete fastidious or hard to please

Derived forms of curious

curiously, adverb curiousness, noun

Word Origin for curious

C14: from Latin cūriōsus taking pains over something, from cūra care