tempting
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- temptingly adverb
- temptingness noun
- untempting adjective
- untemptingly adverb
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.
Nevertheless, composers have found nocturnes too tempting to resist.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 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
My ski pass stays in my desk drawer, and each weekday as I sign off from work, I tap my phone to the pass to disable all the most tempting stuff from my device.
From Slate • Apr. 26, 2026
“While it may be tempting to jump into the beaten-down software group, at this point, you’re still catching a falling knife,” co-founders Paul Hickey and Justin Walters said in a blog post on Tuesday.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
The rest of the Passover meal was tempting, but Hannah had eaten so much at Rosemary’s, she only picked at her food.
From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen
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.
