engross
7 synonyms and 3 antonyms for engross, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — To write out a document neatly and formally, or to produce its final official copy.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. verb
To write out a document neatly and formally, or to produce its final official copy.
2. verb
To take total control of something for yourself, often unfairly, leaving none for anyone else.
“Octavian then engrosses for himself proconsular powers for ten years in all the provinces where more than one legion was stationed, giving him effective control of the army”
Opposites
3. verb
To hold someone's attention so fully that they think of nothing else.
“She seems to be completely engrossed in that book.”
Opposites
Etymology
From Middle English engrossen, from Anglo-Norman engrosser (“to gather in large quantities, draft something in final form”); partly from the phrase en gros (“in bulk, in quantity, at wholesale”), from en- + gros; and partly from Medieval Latin ingrossō (“thicken, write something large and in bold lettering”, v.), from...
Full origin of engross →