Be Intrigued To Do vs. Intrigued By Something
Be Intrigued To Do vs. Intrigued By Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “intrigued.” Use intrigued + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use intrigued by + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The guide stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Use intrigued + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use intrigued by + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| interest or curiosity linked to an event expressed as an infinitive | intrigued + to-infinitive | use the documented infinitival construction |
| the thing, idea, behavior, or feature that causes the interest | intrigued by + noun phrase | use “by” to name the stimulus or source of interest |
Quick tests
Event-or-source test
Are you presenting the interesting event through an infinitive, or naming the thing that causes the interest?
If yes: Use “intrigued to + verb” for the documented infinitival pattern.
If no: Use “intrigued by + noun phrase” when naming the source of the interest.
Caveat: These are attested complement patterns, not an exhaustive inventory of every construction possible with “intrigued.”
Examples
I was intrigued to learn how the archive was organized.
The infinitive presents the event that aroused interest.
The editors were intrigued by the unusual pattern.
“By” introduces the source of the interest.
She was intrigued to hear the explanation and intrigued by the evidence behind it.
The sentence shows the two grammatical relationships side by side.
Further guidance
Core difference
Use intrigued + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use intrigued by + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction.
Style Boundary
Treat this as a comparison of directly documented complement patterns, not as a claim that every other complement is impossible. Choose the construction that matches the intended grammatical relationship.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- intrigued — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford University Press · Direct dictionary evidence for intrigued + to-infinitive and intrigued by + complement