entertainment

noun

An activity designed to give pleasure, enjoyment, diversion, amusement, or relaxation to an audience, no matter whether the audience participates passively as in watching opera or a movie, or actively as in games.

A show put on for the enjoyment or amusement of others.

(obsolete) Maintenance or support.

(obsolete) An admission into service; a service.

(obsolete) The payment of soldiers or servants; wages.

(obsolete) A reception; a (provision of) food to guests or travellers.

Roots

teneotain- · Latin · hold

Synonyms for entertainment

amusementn recreationn funn enjoymentn extravaganzan pastimen refreshmentn

Synonyms & related words for entertainment

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of entertainment — including amusement, recreation, fun, enjoyment, extravaganza, pastime. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to entertainment

Explore words related to entertainment — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include musicale, edutainment, infotainment, entertainers, entertaining, entertained, beguilement, entertains. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for entertainment

Common synonyms for entertainment include amusement, recreation, fun, enjoyment, extravaganza, pastime, refreshment — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does entertainment come from?

The word entertainment breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root tain-, from Latin teneo (“hold”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.