intrigue.

1. Secret planning or manipulation aimed at gaining an advantage.

2. To interest someone by being unusual, puzzling, or suggestive.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• political intrigue
• court intrigue

On the page

Political intrigue delayed the appointment.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural in this sense. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: intrigues.