The adjective captivating describes something that's completely enthralling and holds your attention. You might find a marathon of episodes of a TV show so captivating that you forget to eat dinner. CAPTIVATE definition: 1. to hold the attention of someone by being extremely interesting, exciting, pleasant, or…. Learn more. Captivating means someone or something that fascinates or attracts you. Learn how to use this adjective in sentences with Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary and examples from Google Books. The meaning of CAPTIVATING is charmingly or irresistibly appealing. How to use captivating in a sentence.