titillate

verb

tit·​il·​late ˈti-tə-ˌlāt How to pronounce titillate (audio)
titillated; titillating

transitive verb

1
: to excite pleasurably : arouse by stimulation
2

intransitive verb

: to act as a stimulant to pleasurable excitement
titillation noun
titillative adjective

Examples of titillate in a Sentence

a film made to titillate the audience writing that titillates and provokes
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And now viewers get a titillating look at Magnolia Pictures' upcoming flick, directed by Lotfy Nathan and drawing from his Coptic Christian background, with its first trailer, released on Wednesday. Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025 And while there are some titillating fights throughout sports history, few steal the spotlight as much as the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox — two baseball teams who are reigniting that fire in front of a new generation with the American League Wild Card Series starting on Sept. 30. Tj MacIas, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025 The designs were puckish and gender-bending, evoking both awe and repulsion—the sort of clothing that titillates lovers of conceptual fashion and bewilders the uninitiated. Ana Karina Zatarain, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025 The poet titillates, commands by images—and only thus persuades. Elaine L. Wang september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for titillate

Word History

Etymology

Latin titillatus, past participle of titillare

First Known Use

1620, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of titillate was in 1620

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Titillate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/titillate. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

titillate

verb
tit·​il·​late ˈtit-ᵊl-ˌāt How to pronounce titillate (audio)
titillated; titillating
1
2
: to excite pleasurably
titillation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on titillate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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