- 1[uncountable, singular] curiosity (about something) curiosity (to do something) a strong desire to know about something Children show curiosity about everything. a certain curiosity to see what would happen next The letter wasn't addressed to me but I opened it out of curiosity. His answer did not satisfy my curiosity at all. Sophie's curiosity was aroused by the mysterious phone call. intellectual curiosity “Why do you ask?” “Oh, just idle curiosity.” (= no particular reason)
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- 2[countable] an unusual and interesting thing The museum is full of historical curiosities. Idioms
used to tell someone not to ask questions or try to find out about things that do not concern them
Check pronunciation: curiosity