Dictionary.com
definitions

tantalize

[ tan-tl-ahyz ]
/ ˈtæn tlˌaɪz /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tantalize ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

RELATED WORDS

annoy, fascinate, frustrate, baffle, torment, entice, titillate, bedevil, gnaw, bait, torture, beleaguer, taunt, pester, harass, charm, harry, plague, thwart, worry

Nearby words

  1. tanta,
  2. tantalate,
  3. tantalic,
  4. tantalic acid,
  5. tantalite,
  6. tantalizing,
  7. tantalous,
  8. tantalum,
  9. tantalus,
  10. tantalus monkey
Also especially British, tan·ta·lise.

Origin of tantalize

First recorded in 1590–1600; Tantal(us) + -ize
ANTONYMS FOR tantalize
satisfy.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR tantalize ON THESAURUS.COM
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 tantalize

British Dictionary definitions for tantalize

tantalize

tantalise

/ (ˈtæntəˌlaɪz) /

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 tantalize

tantalize

v.

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).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper