Make Your Point: ARRESTING

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pronounce ARRESTING:

uh REST ing

connect this word to others:

Before we jump in, see if you can recall a close synonym of arresting:

The word d____ing describes people who put you at ease: people who are so charming that they make you feel as if you can lay down your weapons. If you need a hint, think of a one-syllable synonym for "weapons," and stick that inside the word.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

The word "arrest" has Latin bits that literally mean "to stand back," and we use it, of course, as a formal or legal synonym of "stop." "This medicine arrests the progress of the disease." "This criminal was arrested by the police."

In a more pleasant sense of "stopping," the word "arresting" can describe things and people who absolutely stop you in your tracks, because they're so beautiful, amazing, bizarre, or otherwise captivating.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "She flashed an arresting smile;" "Her smile was arresting."

Other forms:

The adverb is "arrestingly," as in "Her smile is arrestingly beautiful."

how to use it:

Pick the exciting, very positive, semi-common word "arresting" to emphasize the suddenness with which something amazes you so much that you simply must stop and pay attention to it.

You might talk about arresting music, arresting sights in nature, or arresting people and their arresting smiles.

Although this word very often describes things that are beautiful or wonderful, it can also describe things that are weird, gross, outrageous, or otherwise attention-grabbing. "The poem opens with an arresting description of a forest on fire."

examples:

"[Matt Friedberger] is one of the most arresting and original lyricists who's ever worked in pop, and one reason for that is that he grounds his songs in obsessively ordinary detail."
— Michaelangelo Matos, Salon, 19 August 2008

"[In van Gogh's painting 'Rain-Auvers,'] flame-shaped purple trees lick up, as a black crow floats in midair. Most arrestingly, the entire painting is covered with a net of descending diagonal lines, lines of rain."
— Roberta Smith, New York Times, 29 July 2015

"I've been arrested by you. Take me in."
— Rupert Hine, "Arrested By You," Better Off Dead Soundtrack, 1985

(Source)

has this page helped you understand "arresting"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "arresting" without saying "heart-stopping" or "riveting."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "You don't (achieve something impressive) without being arrestingly (smart, gifted, talented, accomplished, or otherwise highly unusual)."

Example 1: "You don't get into the NFL without being arrestingly talented."

Example 2: "Yes, she's stunning. You don't make it to the cover of Vanity Fair without being arrestingly glamorous."
— Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon, 2 June 2015

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for March is "Tidbits and Titles: Books That Became Movies!"

I provide the tidbits; you provide the title. And every answer will be a book that has been made into a movie. To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Let's play!

Here's a quote from the book: "What came first – the music or the misery? Did I listen to the music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to the music?"

Here are some words and phrases that often appear in that book: Anyway, can't, conversation, couple, drink, feel, friends, girl, happy, laugh, listen, mean, night, OK, pub, relationship, single, song, stuff, wearing, worry, yeah.

What's the book's title?

review this word:

1. A near opposite of ARRESTING, in its figurative sense, is

A. SPEEDY.
B. CUTTING.
C. ORDINARY.

2. "There was something arresting about the youngster's eyes," Jon Krakauer wrote: something _____.

A. amusing
B. dull and blank
C. dark, emotive, exotic, and vulnerable

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
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  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
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From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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