tempting

[ temp-ting ]

adjective

1. that tempts; enticing or inviting.

   Synonyms: seductive, alluring, attractive

   Antonyms: repellent

tempting

/ ˈtɛmptɪŋ /

adjective

1. attractive or inviting

   a tempting meal

Derived Forms

• ˈtemptingness, noun
• ˈtemptingly, adverb

Other Words From

• tempting·ly adverb
• tempting·ness noun
• un·tempting adjective
• un·tempting·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of tempting¹

First recorded in 1540–50; tempt + -ing ²

Example Sentences

It’s tempting to say yes here, but I think I have to say no.

From Ozy

As data from different vaccines start to pile up, it’s tempting to compare shots by their effectiveness, but that’s not always a useful exercise.

From Time

To get the tempting snack, several brown tree snakes used the lasso-like move.

From Science News For Students

It may be tempting, when you look back at the last several decades of cancer research, to focus on all the failures.

From Freakonomics

Start by getting the basics right and fixing problemsWhile it’s tempting to dive in and use the cool stuff, it’s best to hold your excitement in check and start by taking care of any problems with your image.

From Popular-Science

At first glance, it might be tempting to interpret this extravagant level of compensation as a victory for the once-humble intern.

From The Daily Beast

It would be tempting, at this point, to say that the Internet will corrode religious authority and usher in the Great Secular Age.

From The Daily Beast

It is tempting to think that Posada would be proud of how far his calavera images have traveled.

From The Daily Beast

It is tempting for gay-rights advocates to imagine that a national majority is the same as a national consensus.

From The Daily Beast

The column looked so tempting, like the David Brooks pieces I enjoy so much.

From The Daily Beast

"They were not very tempting, certainly; however, we are pretty well used to them by this time," replied De Lucenay.

From Project Gutenberg

Her nose was high bridged, and straight to a point while the mouth below was small and tempting.

From Project Gutenberg

These fish are very tempting and delicate, and are not so injurious as shellfish are apt to be.

From Project Gutenberg

Moreover, the action necessary in conveying the tempting graces to their destination has not unfrequently been found useful.

From Project Gutenberg

It throve because it came with the tempting bribe of Heaven in one hand, and the withering threat of Hell in the other.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• appetizing
• attractive
• enticing
• fascinating
• heavenly
• intriguing
• seductive
• tantalizing