temptress

American  

[temp-tris] / ˈtɛmp trɪs /

noun

1. a woman who tempts, entices, or allures.

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ˈtemptress British  

/ ˈtɛmptrɪs /

noun

1. a woman who sets out to allure or seduce a man or men; seductress

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Gender

See -ess.

Etymology

Origin of temptress

First recorded in 1585–95; tempt(e)r + -ess

Example Sentences

By 1381, the duke's reputation was at an all time low, and Swynford was targeted as "an abominable temptress."

From Salon • Jul. 25, 2022

Making good on her name, Eve is a temptress, but the forbidden knowledge she dangles is that female liberation is part of civil rights.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2022

He later directed her at the Met, where she sang the title role in a new staging of Bizet's Carmen, portraying the heroine as a "pouty teenager" rather than the sultry temptress of most productions.

From BBC • Jan. 11, 2022

Loveliness, in fiction, typically graces a pair of archetypes: the angel and the temptress.

From Washington Post • Jul. 5, 2018

“And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.”

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling