The word 举世瞩目 is formed by combining the two-character phrase 举世, meaning "the entire world" (where 举 conveys "whole" and 世 means "world"), with the two-character phrase 瞩目, meaning "to watch closely" (where 瞩 means "to gaze" and 目 means "eye"). The compound joins these parts so that 举世 modifies 瞩目, specifying that the attention is global, thus conveying "attracting worldwide observation".