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definitions

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.

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 for seduce

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

Antonyms for seduce

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

Related Words for seducer

Casanova, playboy, rake, seductress, philanderer, Romeo, womanizer, Lothario

Examples from the Web for seducer

Contemporary Examples of seducer

Historical Examples of seducer

  • 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

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
Derived Formsseducible or seduceable, adjective

Word Origin for seduce

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).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper