What does mesmerised mean?
To be mesmerised is to be completely captivated by someone or something, often because of its beauty, skill, strangeness, or appeal. The usual British construction is “mesmerised by”: a visitor might be mesmerised by the colours of a sunset, while an audience may be mesmerised by a virtuoso performance. Although mesmerised once carried associations with hypnotism and the historical theory of animal magnetism, its modern meaning is broader and generally positive, expressing intense interest and wonder rather than actual hypnosis. The word is especially effective for describing attention that is so fully engaged that ordinary distractions seem to disappear. It can also describe a person as the agent of that fascination, as in “the magician mesmerised the crowd,” though the passive form is much more common.
verbTo hold someone's attention completely through fascination, wonder, or delight. The form is especially common in the passive construction “be mesmerised by”.
- To captivate someone's attention completely, making them intensely fascinated or enchanted.
"The child was mesmerised by the fireflies dancing above the pond."
"The audience was mesmerised by the violinist's effortless control of the orchestra."
"From childhood, she had been mesmerised by stories of distant voyages and hidden cities."
The word's astonishing power comes from a historical theory of magnetic healing: its linguistic ancestor was named after Franz Anton Mesmer.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mesmerised come from?
The word derives from “mesmerism,” a term formed from the surname of the Austrian physician Franz Anton Mesmer. Mesmer developed an influential theory that health and behaviour were affected by an invisible magnetic force, and the practices associated with him became known as mesmerism. By the early 19th century, the word had broadened to mean fascination or hypnotic influence, eventually producing the verb “mesmerise” and the form “mesmerised.”
Related word forms
How mesmerised is actually used
The British spelling uses -ise, while the American spelling uses -ize. The passive form, particularly “mesmerised by,” is the usual construction. The word conveys strong fascination and often implies that the person or thing has an almost hypnotic hold on another person's attention.
Easily confused with mesmerised
“Mesmerised” is the standard British spelling, while “mesmerized” is the standard American spelling of the same verb.