temptation

noun

temp·​ta·​tion tem(p)-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act of tempting or the state of being tempted especially to evil : enticement

2

: something tempting : a cause or occasion of enticement

Synonyms

• seduction
• lure

Examples of temptation in a Sentence

Money is always a temptation.

The dessert menu has a lot of delicious temptations.

the temptations of the city

Recent Examples on the Web

The temptation is strong to classify Untamed, the new series from screenwriter Mark L. Smith and his daughter Elle Smith, as Netflix’s answer to Paramount’s Yellowstone. —Andy Crump, Time, 20 July 2025

The Risk Of Outsourcing Meaning As artificial intelligence becomes more common in corporate workflows, there’s a growing temptation to treat memory as another system to automate. —Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025

And according to both infidelity experts, the short-term temptations can easily overshadow the long-term fallout of hurting your partner, jeopardizing your career, and perhaps ending up on a Jumbotron moment that lives online forever. —Jenna Ryu, SELF, 18 July 2025

The temptation to tune into everything at once was too strong. —Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 16 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English temptacioun "testing, enticement to sin," borrowed from Anglo-French tentacion, borrowed from Late Latin temptātiōn-, temptātiō "enticement to sin," going back to Latin, "attempt, attack," from temptāre "to feel, test, attempt, make an assault on, attack" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at tempt

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for temptation

• ablation
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation
• collation

Kids Definition

temptation

noun

temp·​ta·​tion tem(p)-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act of tempting : the state of being tempted especially to evil

2

: something tempting