tantalizing

[ tan-tl-ahy-zing ]

/ ˈtæn tlˌaɪ zɪŋ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for tantalizing on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having or exhibiting something that provokes or arouses expectation, interest, or desire, especially that which remains unobtainable or beyond one's reach: a tantalizing taste of success.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of tantalizing

First recorded in 1650–60; tantalize + -ing²

OTHER WORDS FROM tantalizing

tan·ta·liz·ing·ly, adverbun·tan·ta·liz·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tantalizing

tantalizing , titillating

Words nearby tantalizing

tantalate, tantalic, tantalic acid, tantalite, tantalize, tantalizing, tantalous, tantalum, Tantalus, tantalus monkey, tantamount

How to use tantalizing in a sentence

Perhaps the most tantalizing promise of molecular farming in the near future is crops that contain a vaccine.
Molecular Farming Means the Next Vaccine Could Be Edible and Grown in a Plant|Shelly Fan|August 17, 2021|Singularity Hub
Studies like this hint at the tantalizing possibilities of advancing technology.
What’s in a packrat’s petrified pee? Just a few thousand years of secrets.|Rachel Feltman|August 12, 2021|Popular-Science
It’s a tantalizing prospect — and slowly, the Schoenfelds start to think he’s onto something, too.
The ballad of the Chowchilla bus kidnapping|Kaleb Horton|July 23, 2021|Vox
There are also tantalizing hints that body odor doesn’t just influence romantic relationships, but platonic ones, too.
What Your Body Odor Says About You|Sarah Everts|July 21, 2021|Time

With the fossils we have, there’s the tantalizing possibility that it didn’t just happen once.
What Made Early Humans Smart - Issue 102: Hidden Truths|Kevin Berger|June 30, 2021|Nautilus
Madame Cézanne is ultimately about the figure in the portraits rather than the person, who remains a tantalizing enigma.
Sight Unseen: Cézanne’s Mysterious Wife|Lizzie Crocker|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She remembers, of course, being tantalized by the tantalizing opening breakdown scene.
Eliza Coupe Finds Her ‘Happy Ending’ With ‘Benched’|Kevin Fallon|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In support of his assessment, he offers a number of tantalizing theories, only partially undergirded by fully explored evidence.
The Myth of the Central Park Five|Edward Conlon|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Because, for me, the idea of the regal Diane in the ratty warehouse digs is positively tantalizing.
‘The Good Wife’ Creators on the Premiere’s Big Cary Twist, Will’s Death, and More|Kevin Fallon|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It requires something on the scale of an earthquake, which is why impeachment talk is so tantalizing.
Pelosi to Boehner: I Quashed Impeachment, and So Can You|Eleanor Clift|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But to starving men, with not a mouthful in our grasp, this display of food was tantalizing.
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes of the Civil War|Various
The tantalizing smile came back to the face of the red man, who shook his head.
Two Boys in Wyoming|Edward S. Ellis
I began to feel that it was better to be here with you blind, than alone in town with that tantalizing half-sight of everything.
The Hidden Places|Bertrand W. Sinclair
There was the tantalizing feeling that I was on the verge of knowing at least something.
Sense from Thought Divide|Mark Irvin Clifton
The recollection was as tantalizing as an itch; but he couldn't locate its source.
The Status Civilization|Robert Sheckley