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

• 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 poet titillates, commands by images—and only thus persuades. —Elaine L. Wang september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025

These tête-à-têtes can also titillate the tabloids, which can only speculate about what’s being discussed as the ball is thwacked about. —Avery Stone, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2025

The billionaire’s affinity for titillating cartoon characters has not gone unnoticed on X. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2025

Antonioni’s critical distance from this mass display makes something of a grim parody of the Sexual Revolution, suggesting that its liberatory possibilities have been forgotten in the name of titillating distraction. —Jake Cole, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2025

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
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

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