tantalize

[tan-tl-ahyz]

verb (used with object), tan·ta·lized, tan·ta·liz·ing.

to torment with, or as if with, the sight of something desired but out of reach; tease by arousing expectations that are repeatedly disappointed.

Nearby words

Also especially British, tan·ta·lise.

Origin of tantalize

First recorded in 1590–1600; Tantal(us) + -ize

SYNONYMS FOR tantalize

provoke, taunt, tempt; frustrate.

ANTONYMS FOR tantalize

satisfy.

Related formstan·ta·li·za·tion, nountan·ta·liz·er, nounun·tan·ta·lized, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tantalise

A little snow fell, but only to tantalise us, for the ground never got covered more than half an inch.
The Siberian Overland Route from Peking to Petersburg,|Alexander Michie
She must tantalise him sufficiently, must keep him on tenterhooks, not make herself too cheap.
The Triumph of Hilary Blachland|Bertram Mitford
Once a day a small ration was doled out--pitifully small--enough to tantalise appetite, but not to still hunger.
The Gaunt Gray Wolf|Dillon Wallace
The obstacles in his way, however, seemed to increase as circumstances combined to fret and tantalise his hopes.
Banked Fires|E. W. (Ethel Winifred) Savi

Sibylla began again: to tantalise him seemed a necessity of her life.
Verner's Pride|Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for tantalise

tantalize

tantalise

verb

(tr) to tease or make frustrated, as by tormenting with the sight of something greatly desired but inaccessible

Derived Formstantalization or tantalisation, nountantalizer or tantaliser, nountantalizing or tantalising, adjectivetantalizingly or tantalisingly, adverb

Word Origin for tantalize

C16: from the punishment of Tantalus

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 tantalise

tantalize

1590s, from Latin Tantalus, from Greek Tantalos, king of Phrygia, son of Zeus, punished in the afterlife (for an offense variously given) by being made to stand in a river up to his chin, under branches laden with fruit, all of which withdrew from his reach whenever he tried to eat or drink. His story was known to Chaucer (c.1369).