Standard Lemma guide

enthrall

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɪnˈθɹɔːl/
  • Australian, British, New-Zealand, Southern, Standard: /ɪnˈθɹoːl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • /ɪnˈθɹɔl/ without the cot–caught merger
  • cot-caught-merger: /ɪnˈθɹɑl/
  • Scotland: /ɪnˈθɾɔl/
  • Wales: /ɪnˈθɾɔːl/

1

verb

Meaning 1

To enslave; to subjugate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: literally, literary, transitive

Qualifier: otherwise archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: disenthrall

2

verb

Meaning 2

To hold spellbound.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bewitch, captivate, charm, enchant, transfix

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To make subservient.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, figuratively, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

hold spellbound

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: enchant, enrapture, transport, ravish, enthral, delight

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: please, delight

History

Etymology

From Middle English enthrallen. By surface analysis, en- + thrall.

Across languages

Translations

65 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: омайвам (omajvam) — hold spellbound
  • Bulgarian: очаровам (očarovam) — hold spellbound
  • Catalan: embruixar — hold spellbound
  • Catalan: captivar — hold spellbound
  • Czech: uchvátit — hold spellbound
  • Czech: upoutat — hold spellbound
  • Czech: okouzlit — hold spellbound
  • Czech: fascinovat — hold spellbound
  • Danish: fængsle — hold spellbound
  • Danish: tryllebinde — hold spellbound
  • Danish: fortrylle — hold spellbound
  • Danish: forhekse — hold spellbound
  • Dutch: betoveren — hold spellbound
  • Esperanto: ravi — hold spellbound
  • Esperanto: sorĉi — hold spellbound
  • Finnish: lumota — hold spellbound
  • French: captiver — hold spellbound
  • German: fesseln — hold spellbound
  • German: bezirzen — hold spellbound
  • German: verhexen — hold spellbound
  • Greek: γοητεύω (goïtévo) — hold spellbound
  • Hungarian: elbűvöl — hold spellbound
  • Polish: oczarować — hold spellbound
  • Polish: zafascynować — hold spellbound
  • Romanian: captiva — hold spellbound
  • Romanian: fermeca — hold spellbound
  • Romanian: vrăji — hold spellbound
  • Russian: зачаро́вывать (začaróvyvatʹ) — hold spellbound
  • Spanish: embrujar — hold spellbound
  • Spanish: embelesar — hold spellbound
  • Spanish: embebecer — hold spellbound
  • Spanish: hechizar — hold spellbound
  • Spanish: fascinar — hold spellbound
  • Swedish: fängsla — hold spellbound
  • Swedish: trollbinda — hold spellbound
  • Swedish: förtrolla — hold spellbound
  • Swedish: förhäxa — hold spellbound
  • Swedish: tjusa — hold spellbound
  • Swedish: förtjusa — hold spellbound
  • Swedish: fascinera — hold spellbound
  • Ukrainian: зачаро́вувати (začaróvuvaty) — hold spellbound
  • Bulgarian: поробвам (porobvam) — make subservient
  • Catalan: subjugar — make subservient
  • Danish: kue — make subservient
  • Danish: underkue — make subservient
  • Danish: undertrykke — make subservient
  • Dutch: onderwerpen — make subservient
  • Esperanto: subigi — make subservient
  • Esperanto: sklavigi — make subservient
  • Finnish: orjuuttaa — make subservient
  • French: asservir — make subservient
  • German: unterwerfen — make subservient
  • Gothic: 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌸𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌽 (anaþiwan) — make subservient
  • Hungarian: rabjává tesz — make subservient
  • Ido: sklavigar — make subservient
  • Italian: asservire — make subservient
  • Italian: schiavizzare — make subservient
  • Old Norse: þrælka — make subservient
  • Polish: zniewolić — make subservient
  • Romanian: subjuga — make subservient
  • Romanian: aservi — make subservient
  • Romanian: înrobi — make subservient
  • Russian: порабоща́ть (poraboščátʹ) — make subservient
  • Ukrainian: понево́лювати (ponevóljuvaty) — make subservient
  • Ukrainian: підко́рювати (pidkórjuvaty) — make subservient