- present participle of tempt.
tempting
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tempting
Explanation
Anything that's tempting makes you excited or interested, like a tempting chocolate doughnut or a tempting offer to go to the movies instead of doing your chores. An invitation or offer that intrigues you is tempting—even if it might ultimately be a bad idea. It's tempting to skip school and spend the afternoon at the beach, but it's wiser to avoid the temptation. People commonly describe food they feel is bad for them as tempting. This sense of something that's both harmful and attractive comes from the original meaning of tempt, "entice to evil or sin."
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.
It can be tempting to look at paycheck deductions for coverage “as money you are not getting, as opposed to an important part of financial planning and risk management.”
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026
The parallels are tempting, but the dynamics between these two powers are nothing like those of 2014.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
With bills set to rise again in January, that may prove a tempting combination.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026
He sets the Cat up to fail, threatening to fire him if there’s even one mess, then tempting the Cat with a dangerously devious device, the Go-Backer, to clean up his mess.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Nhamo had to guard the picture carefully because the paper was tempting to termites.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
