tantalizing

[tan-tl-ahy-zing]

adjective

1. having or exhibiting something that provokes or arouses expectation, interest, or desire, especially that which remains unobtainable or beyond one's reach.

   a tantalizing taste of success.

Other Word Forms

• tantalizingly adverb
• untantalizing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tantalizing¹

First recorded in 1650–60; tantalize + -ing ²

Example Sentences

But they too had been captivated by the tantalizing smell.

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Those strides served as a reminder of Bellinger’s tantalizing talent, as well as a sign of his growing maturation as he enters his 10th year in the majors.

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Premium credit cards get people to sign up with tantalizing offerings like access to exclusive restaurants and free or discounted flights for companions.

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Each time they came upon a tantalizing long shot, one of them set to work on making the case for it, in an elaborate presentation, complete with PowerPoint slides.

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"With both events having one black hole that is both significantly more massive than the other and rapidly spinning, they provide tantalizing evidence that these black holes were formed from previous black hole mergers."

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Related Words

• alluring