Tantalus

noun

Tan·​ta·​lus ˈtan-tə-ləs 

1

: a legendary king of Lydia condemned to stand up to the chin in a pool of water in Hades and beneath fruit-laden boughs only to have the water or fruit recede at each attempt to drink or eat

2

tantalus : a locked cellarette with contents visible but not obtainable without a key

Examples of Tantalus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And more recently, in the new season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Simons has given Camp Half-Blood’s vaguely evil new head, King Tantalus, a bit of bloodthirsty swagger, as well as Robert Smith–style hair and a touch of pathos. — Marah Eakin, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2026

Timothy Simons will join Season 2 as Tantalus, Head of Activities at Camp Halfblood, which was Chiron’s (Glynn Turman) job. — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 8 Dec. 2025

Other recurring guest stars include Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus the leader of Camp Half-Blood, Timothy Simons as Tantalus and Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes, messenger of the gods. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025

Other recurring guest stars include Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus the leader of Camp Half-Blood, Simons as Tantalus and Lin Manuel-Miranda as Hermes, messenger of the gods. — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 24 July 2025

Is there a more modern incarnation of Tantalus and his brethren? — Daniel Seifert, JSTOR Daily, 5 Feb. 2025

Along with Vance and Smart, new cast members joining Season 2 include Andra Day as Athena, Daniel Diemer as Tyson and Timothy Simons as Tantalus. — Selome Hailu, Variety, 25 Nov. 2024

Variety recently exclusively reported that Timothy Simons will appear in Season 2 as Tantalus. — Joe Otterson, Variety, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Tantalos

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1