tantalizing

adjective

Definition of tantalizing

:possessing a quality that arouses or stimulates desire or interest; also :mockingly or teasingly out of reach

—

tantalizingly

adverb

Recent Examples of tantalizing from the Web

Tantalizing talent was the first quarterback to ever win a road playoff game at Lambeau Field.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "Does drafting a quarterback with a top-10 pick mean NFL success? Flip a coin," 26 Aug. 2017
Lance, a history buff, was hooked: a historical mystery with a tantalizing lead to follow.

— evan lubofsky, Smithsonian, "One Scientist May Have Finally Figured Out the Mystery of Why a Civil War Submarine Sank," 23 Aug. 2017
But perhaps the most dramatic presentations of prime rib take place in restaurants, where, ideally, the roast should be cooked bones and all to save juices and to impart the tantalizing fragrance of the bones themselves.

— mimi sheraton, Bon Appetit, "Prime Rib Is the Dining Spectacle of the Year," 21 Aug. 2017
Then again, there have been some tantalizing theories lately about what role Arya might play in the Great War to Come.

— joanna robinson, vanityfair.com, "Game of Thrones: Okay, Seriously, How Does Arya’s Faceless Man Stuff Work?," 20 Aug. 2017
Veteran right-hander Homer Bailey lasted just 5 2/3 innings, recording 10 tantalizing strikeouts and five frustrating walks.

— zach buchanan, Cincinnati.com, "A slider gets away from Blake Wood, followed by the game," 17 Aug. 2017
Reality television, in general, has a long history of this kind of thing: its platform, with its tantalizing mingling of truth and performance, offered up for rituals of redemption.

— megan garber, The Atlantic, "The Bachelorette and the Empty Redemptions of Reality TV," 1 Aug. 2017
Love it (art! movies! tantalizing costumes!) or hate it (crowds! traffic! tacky costumes!), there’s no mistaking Comic-Con’s impact on San Diego and the world.

— peter rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Back Story: Jack Kirby and Will Eisner's fantastic, incredible, spirited influence on Comic-Con," 16 July 2017
This is a tantalizing discovery for people who would like to eliminate income inequality.

— annalee newitz, Ars Technica, "Intriguing experiment reveals a fundamental conflict in human culture," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tantalizing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of tantalizing

circa 1683

Learn More about tantalizing

Spanish Central: Translation of tantalizing Nglish: Translation of tantalizing for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tantalizing for Arabic speakers

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tantalizing

Definition of tantalizing

tantalizingly

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First Known Use of tantalizing

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tantalizing

Definition of tantalizing

tantalizingly

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