titillate

verb

tit·​il·​late ˈti-tə-ˌlāt 

titillated; titillating

transitive verb

1

: to excite pleasurably : arouse by stimulation

2

: tickle sense 1

intransitive verb

: to act as a stimulant to pleasurable excitement

titillation

ˌti-tə-ˈlā-shən 

noun

titillative

ˈti-tə-ˌlā-tiv 

adjective

Synonyms of titillate

• excite
• thrill
• electrify

Examples of titillate in a Sentence

a film made to titillate the audience

writing that titillates and provokes

Recent Examples on the Web

The comment at a rally last Sunday titillated, provoked and enraged different audiences simultaneously, all but guaranteeing saturation news coverage and even more attention. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026

But the action is so dependent on overwrought dialogue, red herrings, titillating close-ups, and a barrage of throwback songs that the story constantly takes a backseat. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2026

Where to Follow Our Black Hat 2026 Coverage Black Hat’s briefing schedule is, as always, jam-packed with interesting demonstrations and titillating panel discussions. — Kim Key, PC Magazine, 30 July 2026

The result is a genre of prose writing that continues to shock, titillate and entertain. — Literary Hub, 30 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin titillatus, past participle of titillare

First Known Use

1620, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for titillate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

titillate

verb

tit·​il·​late ˈtit-ᵊl-ˌāt 

titillated; titillating

1

: tickle entry 1 sense 1

2

: to excite pleasurably

titillation

ˌtit-ᵊl-ˈā-shən 

noun