What does engrossed mean?
Word: Engrossed
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Engrossed means so interested in something that you do not notice anything else happening around you.
How do you spell engrossed?
Syllables: en - grossed
Tricky part: The trap is the double s near the end. Students who hear only one hissing sound often write engrosed.
Watch out for: engrosed, engroced
Memory tip: Picture two snakes curled up reading the same book: they are the two s's in engrossed.
Engrossed in a sentence
Example 1: Kavya was so engrossed in her comic that she missed her stop.
Example 2: The children sat engrossed as the storyteller described the tiger's long walk through the forest.
Example 3: Grandpa gets engrossed in the crossword every Sunday morning.
Fun Fact
An older meaning of engross was to copy out a legal document neatly in large letters. Today the word is used almost only for being deeply interested in something.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Fusion
Choose the two parts that complete the word:
___gross___ 1. en 2. dis 3. ed 4. ly 5. un 6. ful
a) 2 and 4
b) 1 and 6
c) 5 and 3
d) 1 and 3
Show answer
d) 1 and 3. Only en with ed gives a real word; no other offered pair fits round gross.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
dosgneers
a) unable to make up your mind
b) very tired after hard work
c) pleased with what you have done
d) deeply caught up in what you are doing
Show answer
d) deeply caught up in what you are doing. The letters make engrossed, the way you feel when a good book swallows all your attention.
Sound Check
In which word is 'o' pronounced differently?
a) crossed
b) posted
c) engrossed
d) closed
Show answer
a) crossed. Crossed has the short o of hot; in the other three the o sounds like the name of the letter.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with the word closest in meaning:
1. engrossed 2. weary 3. eager a. keen b. tired c. absorbed
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. Engrossed is closest to absorbed, weary to tired and eager to keen.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these shows that Mateo is engrossed in his book?
a) He flips to the last page at once.
b) He does not hear his name being called.
c) He yawns and puts the book down.
d) He keeps looking out of the window.
Show answer
b) He does not hear his name being called.
2. If you are engrossed in a film, which feeling are you certainly not having?
a) eager
b) calm
c) bored
d) proud
Show answer
c) bored
