tantalizing
[tan-tl-ahy-zing]
- 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.
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Origin of tantalizing
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for tantalizingly
Contemporary Examples
The White-Haired Man (James Morrison), so tantalizingly creepy in his appearance last season, was felled pretty quickly.
After months of debate, lawmakers seeking to pass health-care reform are tantalizingly close to the goal line.
Rich in mythology and character development, and tantalizingly complex, Lost is not something to be watched passively.
Historical Examples
Their friend's answers were brief and tantalizingly incomplete.
Cy Whittaker's PlaceJoseph C. Lincoln
Frances' behavior to the young doctor was tantalizingly contradictory.
Kent Knowles: QuahaugJoseph C. Lincoln
To yield to him was impossible, and yet the thought of it was tantalizingly sweet.
They of the High TrailsHamlin Garland
"I'll tell you more about her—next time," I said, tantalizingly.
The Shadow WorldHamlin Garland
His name—” she hesitated tantalizingly—“is Signor Abraham Lincoln.
Jerry JuniorJean Webster
Word Origin and History for tantalizingly
tantalizing
adj.
mid-17c., present participle adjective from tantalize. Related: Tantalizingly.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper