interested

The word “interested” means showing curiosity or attention toward something. In plain terms, either curious/paying attention, or having a personal stake that means you're not a neutral party.

“Interested” is pronounced IHNT-uh-rihs-tihd (/ˈɪnt.əˌɹɛs.tɪd/ in IPA).

Here is “interested” used in a sentence: “She seemed genuinely interested in his research.”

“Interested” is an adjective.

“Interested” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Interested” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: showing curiosity or attention toward something.

'Interested' describes how you feel — curious about or drawn to something, as in 'I am interested in history'. 'Interesting' describes the thing that causes that feeling — 'History is interesting'. People are interested; the things that engage them are interesting. Mixing them up is one of the commonest English errors.

'Interested in' is the standard pairing and works in almost every case, as in 'She is interested in science'. 'Interested by' is possible but far less common, usually stressing a specific thing that caught your attention: 'I was interested by his reply'. When in doubt, choose 'interested in'.

You might say, 'He seemed genuinely interested in what she was saying,' showing his curiosity and attention. Other examples include 'Are you interested in joining us?' or 'She is interested in learning the guitar.' In each case, the word describes a person's engagement with something, not the thing itself.