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The history of enthrall appeals far less than the word as we use it today might suggest. In Middle English, enthrallen meant “to deprive of privileges; to put in bondage.” Thrall then, as now, referred to bondage or slavery. An early figurative use of enthrall appeared in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape.” But we rarely use even this sense of mental or moral control anymore. More often, the word simply suggests a state of being generally captivated or delighted by some particular thing. Enthrall is commonly found in its past participle form enthralled, which can mean “spellbound,” as in “we listened, enthralled, to the elder's oral history.”
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Examples of enthrall in a Sentence
Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Nov. 2024
Another is to enthrall its adversary with the notion that reconciliation through conventional negotiations at Seoul’s initiative—which will invariably come with concessions—is possible, even in the wake of the next North Korean provocation.
—Sung-Yoon Lee, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2015
Ryan Murphy continues to enthrall audiences with the latest in his true crime anthology, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which came in fourth place in its fifth week on the streamer, racking up another 5.3M views.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2024
Van Gogh’s life and work continue to enthrall the public more than 130 years after his death.
—Leslie Katz, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Enthrall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enthrall. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
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