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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

intrigue.

A complicated or clandestine plot or scheme intended to affect some purpose by secret artifice; conspiracy; stratagem; the practice of engaging in hidden schemes.

8 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈɪntɹiːɡ//ɪnˈtɹiːɡ/
  1. A complicated or clandestine plot or scheme intended to affect some purpose by secret artifice; conspiracy; stratagem; the practice of engaging in hidden schemes.

    countable · uncountable
    His betrayal was the beginning of a complex intrigue intended to give him control of the company.
  2. A complicated or clandestine plot or scheme intended to affect some purpose by secret artifice; conspiracy; stratagem; the practice of engaging in hidden schemes. Clandestine intercourse between persons; illicit intimacy; a liaison or affair.

    countable · uncountable
    I suspect Suzanne and her mysterious friend of being involved in an intrigue.
  3. A complicated or clandestine plot or scheme intended to affect some purpose by secret artifice; conspiracy; stratagem; the practice of engaging in hidden schemes. The plot of a play, poem or romance; the series of complications in which a writer involves their imaginary characters.

    countable · uncountable
    The story's intrigue was boring and reminiscent of a thousand better movies.
  4. A desire to understand something; interest or fascination.

    countable · uncountable
    Your idea has aroused my intrigue.
Where this word comes from

Borrowed from French intrigue, from Italian intricare, from Latin intrīcō (“to entangle, perplex, embarrass”). Doublet of intricate.

verb/ˈɪntɹiːɡ//ɪnˈtɹiːɡ/
  1. To conceive or carry out a secret plan intended to harm; to form a plot or scheme.

    intransitive
  2. To arouse the interest of; to fascinate.

    transitive
  3. To have clandestine or illicit intercourse.

    intransitive
  4. To fill with artifice and duplicity; to complicate.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

Borrowed from French intrigue, from Italian intricare, from Latin intrīcō (“to entangle, perplex, embarrass”). Doublet of intricate.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.