tantalizing

adjective

tan·​ta·​liz·​ing ˈtan-tə-ˌlī-ziŋ 

: possessing a quality that arouses or stimulates desire or interest

also : mockingly or teasingly out of reach

tantalizingly adverb

Examples of tantalizing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Maple salt adds a sweet-savory punch to rubs and stews, and maple sugar is used to give cocktails a smooth and tantalizing finish. —Pamela MacNaughtan, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Nov. 2025

Earhart went missing while on a pioneering round-the-world flight with navigator Fred Noonan, and her disappearance is one of the most tantalizing mysteries in aviation lore. —CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025

People killing people in an arena-style setting with the tantalizing allure of cash hovering over their motivations is basically the Squid Game way. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025

The six-part series is only the first chapter in the bloody saga, concluding with multiple battles, a few betrayals, and a tantalizing tease of what's to come. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of tantalize

First Known Use

circa 1683, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tantalizing

• advertising
• amortizing
• analyzing
• anodizing
• appetizing
• atomizing
• authorising
• authorizing
• carbonizing
• carburizing
• catalyzing
• centralising