A word with a stronger meaning than "intéressant" ?

Question

I want to acknowledge the quality of the scholarship I had this year. I feel like "intéressant" could be interpreted as sarcasm because they received negative review from some students.

Do you have a stronger word without being too much?

"Captivant" and "Passionnant" as suggested in answers are probably the best answers to the question in the title. However, reading your full post, there is an issue that arises. If by "scholarship" you mean a sum of money that you received to help you during your studies, then "intéressant" is not an appropriate word at all. — Stef, Aug 17 '22 at 08:20
@Stef good point though given that they are talking about the "quality" of the scholarship and not the amount or size, personally I feel relatively confident that the OP is talking about scholarship in terms of its first Google definition, meaning "Academic study or achievement; learning of a high level." — anonymous2, Aug 17 '22 at 17:02

score 9 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 16 '22 at 18:31

9

I know it seems trivial, but you almost entirely remove the likelihood of it being interpreted as sarcastic by simply qualifying with an emphasising adverb, such as :

très intéressant

vraiment intéressant

extrêmement intéressant

Of course, you could select a different adjective as well; depending on the exact nuance you want, I'd propose:

remarquable

exceptionnel

answered Aug 16 '22 at 18:31

anonymous2

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It's a really good advice, I'm going to use it. – Radak349 Aug 16 '22 at 20:12

score 5 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 17 '22 at 11:23

5

You could also go with "fascinant"

Which the Cambridge dictionary translate as:

fascinant
 adjective
fascinating [adjective] very charming, attractive or interesting
a fascinating story.

answered Aug 17 '22 at 11:23

Hoki

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score 4 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 16 '22 at 18:47

"Captivant" suggests the conferring of a strong interest.

(TLFi) II.− Emploi adj. [En parlant d'une pers. ou d'un inanimé abstr.] Qui intéresse, séduit par une sorte de fascination irrésistible.

• Charme captivant.
• Mademoiselle de Férias (...) était (...) admirablement jolie et captivante (O. Feuillet, Histoire de Sibylle,1863, p. 232)
• Claire eut un geste effrayé; ouvrant un livre, elle baissa les yeux comme absorbée par une lecture captivante. Chardonne, Claire,1931, p. 136.
SYNT. Jeu, mystère, parfum, sourire, travail captivant.

"Captivant" is a word I forgot but really like, I will use it in another part of the acknowledgement, thanks ! — Radak349, Aug 16 '22 at 20:12

score 4 · Answer 4 · answered Aug 17 '22 at 04:03

4

"Passionnant" could be another one.

answered Aug 17 '22 at 04:03

Chris Sarasin

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score 1 · Answer 5 · answered Aug 18 '22 at 09:20

I suggest

édifiant

While not a direct synonym of intéressant, it expresses enthusiasm and can imply intéressant depending on the full sentence. It is also fitting in your context: it means that you discovered and learned things that made you grow.

You may also go with

instructif

It is more objective and shows less enthusiasm, you can adorn it: très instructif, which is then similar to édifiant.

score 0 · Answer 6 · edited Aug 18 '22 at 08:52

To acknowledge "the quality of the scholarship" you received, you're better off describing how certain details of said scholarship were particularly interesting or relevant to you, and how it was taught was special or effective.

...et j’ai trouvé [thing you found interesting] particulièrement intéressant [and add reason why], et j'ai aussi apprecié [describe the manner in which it was taught that you appreciated, perhaps the professor's individual attention or unique insights]

If you just use a flowery word but nothing to back it up, it can come across as just "banal".

A word with a stronger meaning than "intéressant" ?

6 Answers6