tantalize
verb (used with object)
to torment with, or as if with, the sight of something desired but out of reach; tease by arousing expectations that are repeatedly disappointed.
have been tantalizing
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present perfect progressiveof tantalize.present perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that began in the past, has continued continuously, and is still in progress.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There have been tantalizing previews of the novel since then.
From New York Times ● Oct. 14, 2022
Leaks of what he has written in his forthcoming book have been tantalizing, if not dispositive.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 1, 2020
Curiosity’s methane measurements have been tantalizing researchers for years.
From Nature ● Oct. 24, 2018
Although results in mice have been tantalizing, many of the clinical trials of intravenous MSCs for IBD, and a number of other conditions, “were largely failures”, says Van Assche.
From Nature ● Dec. 20, 2016
The results have been tantalizing, annoying, provocative, stimulating, and, at least until recently, substantially inconclusive.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
