Basic Details
Word: Inquisitive
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Eager to find out about things and always asking questions. It can also mean too interested in other people's private matters.
Synonyms: curious, questioning, nosy, prying
Antonyms: uninterested, indifferent
How to Spell Inquisitive
Syllables: in - quis - i - tive
Tricky part: After qu every vowel is an i until the final e: quisitive. Many students write inquisative because the middle vowel is said lightly.
Watch out for: inquisative, inquisitve, inquistive
Memory tip: Picture three hands going up in class, one for each i in quisitive: qu-i-s-i-t-i-ve. An inquisitive child always has a hand up.
Usage Examples
Example 1: My inquisitive little brother opened the radio to see where the voices came from.
Example 2: An inquisitive monkey grabbed the tourist's sunglasses at the temple.
Example 3: Good scientists stay inquisitive all their lives.
Fun Fact
Inquisitive comes from the same Latin verb as inquire and question. That verb, quaerere, meant to seek or ask, and it also gave English the word query.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word inquisitive as used in the sentence:
Our inquisitive puppy pokes its nose into every bag that comes into the house.
a) uninterested
b) nosy
c) curious
d) playful
Show answer
a) uninterested. A puppy that checks every bag is curious; one that does not care is uninterested.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
inquisitieve
a) v
b) e
c) t
d) i
Show answer
b) e. The last part is just tive; the e that sneaked in before the v has to go.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The tvqiuiesnii child asked the guide forty questions about the old fort.
a) inquisitive
b) inquisitor
c) acquisitive
d) inquisition
Show answer
a) inquisitive. The jumble has a v and an e and no o, which rules out inquisition and inquisitor; acquisitive needs an a and a c.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. An inquisitive student is one who ____.
a) never speaks in class
b) always arrives late
c) copies other people's work
d) keeps asking questions
Show answer
d) keeps asking questions
2. Which word could describe a neighbour who is too inquisitive about your family?
a) honest
b) sleepy
c) nosy
d) generous
Show answer
c) nosy
