tantalize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- tantalization noun
- tantalizer noun
- tantalizing adjective
- tantalizingly adverb
- untantalized adjective
Etymology
Origin of tantalize
First recorded in 1590–1600; Tantal(us) + -ize
Explanation
When you tantalize people, you torment them in a specific way — by showing them something they want but can’t have. You could tantalize people with cavities and nut allergies by eating pecan pie in front of them. The word tantalize comes from a Greek story about a guy named Tantalus who was so evil that the gods of the underworld came up with a special punishment just for him (they were really good at that). They put him in a pool of water that drained away every time he bent down to drink. There was also a tree above his head that whisked away its juicy apples every time he tried to pick one. So, it only makes sense that to tantalize someone is to torture them with what they cannot have.
Vocabulary lists containing tantalize
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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.
To tantalize and tease prospective viewers, the marketing team behind “Babygirl” has leaned all the way in, emphasizing the movie’s Christmas Day release in promotional materials that demand audiences “get everything you want” this holiday.
From Salon • Dec. 30, 2024
In a year of exuberance and dread, songs came from every which way to comfort, to amuse, to haunt, to tantalize.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2024
No matter the answer, Gef has continued to vex and tantalize for decades.
From National Geographic • Sep. 19, 2023
It’s a flatbread carpeted with za’atar, which will simultaneously tantalize and confound your palate.
From Washington Post • Dec. 5, 2022
The dense brown forest on either side never seemed to vary, and ahead there was only a new bend in the river to tantalize her.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
