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seduce

[si-doos, -dyoos]
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verb (used with object), se·duced, se·duc·ing.
  1. to lead astray, as from duty, rectitude, or the like; corrupt.
  2. to persuade or induce to have sexual intercourse.
  3. to lead or draw away, as from principles, faith, or allegiance: He was seduced by the prospect of gain.
  4. to win over; attract; entice: a supermarket seducing customers with special sales.
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Origin of seduce

1470–80; < Latin sēdūcere to lead aside, equivalent to sē- se- + dūcere to lead; replacing earlier seduise < Middle French < Latin, as above
Related formsse·duc·er, nounse·duc·i·ble, se·duce·a·ble, adjectivese·duc·ing·ly, adverbun·se·duc·i·ble, adjectiveun·se·duc·i·ble·ness, nounun·se·duc·i·bly, adverb

Synonyms

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1. beguile, inveigle, decoy, allure, lure, deceive. See tempt.

Antonyms

1. repel.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

CasanovaplayboyrakeseductressphilandererRomeowomanizerLothario

Examples from the Web for seducer

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Indeed, I can hardly, at times, bear the seducer in my sight.

    Clarissa, Volume 3 (of 9)

    Samuel Richardson

  • She fancied every man a seducer, and every hour an hour of accumulating peril!

  • Her seducer was poor, so that it was not his fortune that attracted her.

  • The seduced, on the contrary, falls completely under the power of the seducer.

  • The thoughts, sentiments and will are all directed by the impulses of the seducer.

British Dictionary definitions for seducer

seducer

feminine seductress (sɪˈdʌktrɪs)

noun
  1. a person who entices, allures, or seduces, esp one who entices another to engage in sexual intercourse
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seduce

verb (tr)
  1. to persuade to engage in sexual intercourse
  2. to lead astray, as from the right action
  3. to win over, attract, or lure
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Derived Formsseducible or seduceable, adjective

Word Origin

C15: from Latin sēdūcere to lead apart, from sē- apart + dūcere to lead
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for seducer

seduce

v.

1520s, "to persuade a vassal, etc., to desert his allegiance or service," from Latin seducere "lead away, lead astray," from se- "aside, away" (see secret (n.)) + ducere "to lead" (see duke (n.)). Sexual sense, now the prevailing one, is attested from 1550s and apparently was not in Latin. Originally "entice (a woman) to a surrender of chastity." Related: Seduced; seducing.

Replaced Middle English seduisen (late 15c.), from Middle French séduire "seduce," from Old French suduire "to corrupt, seduce," from Latin subducere "draw away, withdraw, remove," from sub- "from under, further" (see sub-) + ducere "to lead" (see duke).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper