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.
Seawater is an especially tempting feedstock because it is abundant, but it brings a serious materials problem: salt, chloride ions, side reactions, and corrosion can quickly damage electrolyzer components.
From Science Daily • May 10, 2026
"For manufacturers, suppliers, employees and local officials, it is tempting to prefer selling to a Chinese player rather than disappearing," he noted.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
When the news is brimming with stories about people who appear to have gotten ahead by cheating, it becomes more and more tempting to try to get rich quick yourself.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
While it might be tempting to take profits, O’Regan said the outlook probably isn’t that simple, given that dip buyers could quickly jump back in at the first opportunity to buy lower.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026
It is tempting to think of this as some kind of giant continent-sized car crash, but of course it happened with imperceptible slowness.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
