allure 1 of 2

Definition of allurenext

allure

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word allure different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of allure are attract, captivate, charm, enchant, and fascinate. While all these words mean "to draw another by exerting a powerful influence," allure implies an enticing by what is fair, pleasing, or seductive.

an alluring smile

When might attract be a better fit than allure?

Although the words attract and allure have much in common, attract applies to any degree or kind of ability to exert influence over another.

students attracted by the school's locale

How are the words charm and captivate related as synonyms of allure?

Charm implies the power of casting a spell over the person or thing affected and so compelling a response, but it may, like captivate, suggest no more than evoking delight or admiration.

charmed by their hospitality
her performances captivated audiences

When can enchant be used instead of allure?

While in some cases nearly identical to allure, enchant is perhaps the strongest of these terms in stressing the appeal of the agent and the degree of delight evoked in the subject.

hopelessly enchanted by her beauty

When would fascinate be a good substitute for allure?

While the synonyms fascinate and allure are close in meaning, fascinate suggests a magical influence and tends to stress the ineffectiveness of attempts to resist.

a story that continues to fascinate children

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of allure
Noun
The allure of automation often obscures these downstream effects. Troy Holaday, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026 Louis’s image of Lestat is an arch, impetuous, and violent figure who embodies all the allure and danger of immortality, but now, season three of IWTV, renamed The Vampire Lestat, resets the story on Lestat’s terms. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 June 2026
Verb
The getaway, which bookends Tucson with its Saguaro East and Saguaro West parks, allures with inky nightscapes and numerous open-late trails. Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 8 Dec. 2025 The region’s invigorating multiculturalism also allures visitors drawn to calypso music, island cuisine, and its history as a port of entry to the Caribbean. Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 6 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for allure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for allure
Noun
  • Los Angeles appears poised to lose in its attempt to keep $100 million in state grant funding for transportation projects in some of the neediest neighborhoods after a state commission declined to hear the city’s appeal for an extension.
    Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
  • The area, a working-class and largely white part of Greater Manchester, is a top target for Farage’s party, but Burnham sought to turn back the tide, relying on his unique appeal as the region’s popular mayor.
    Alexander Smith, NBC news, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • On Sunday, Scottish supporters charmed locals with a festive march to Fenway Park, where the Red Sox hosted Scottish Heritage Night amid an influx of World Cup fans.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2026
  • In the present, Eddie, a book editor, charms everyone in Daphne’s circle, including her mom, who divorced him decades earlier.
    The Week US, TheWeek, 17 June 2026
Verb
  • Profits from gas and oil have been pumped into the development of a leisure infrastructure to tempt tourists and drive business to local companies.
    Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
  • You’re tempted to pick out the single load-bearing word—a Guts or a Sour to fit these songs inside.
    Walden Green, Pitchfork, 12 June 2026
Noun
  • Using a Beatles motif, the English drew on their reserves of cultural capital to boost the country’s attractiveness at a time when the country’s citizens have an acute sense of losing their place in the world.
    Simon Chadwick, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
  • By the time of The Social Reckoning, a website that was once used to rate the attractiveness of women has gone on to disrupt global politics on a frightening scale.
    Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 10 June 2026
Verb
  • Part of what fascinated me about their presentation was not only their refusal to kowtow to male desire, which for decades had a stranglehold on rock aesthetics, but a concomitant disavowal of commercialism.
    Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
  • Princess Kate, 44, previously revealed that all of her children are fascinated by planes and other aircraft.
    Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
Verb
  • Businesses set up signs, posters and international flags to lure locals and tourists alike, while the Miracle Theater hosted a watch party for the match between France and Senegal.
    Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
  • Fallout The crisis has exposed divisions within González’s own party as her administration works to lure new investors to the island and remedy chronic power outages.
    Vera Lucia Pappaterra, Miami Herald, 19 June 2026
Noun
  • My work is driven by a fascination with atmosphere, emotion, and the quiet beauty hidden in everyday life—the kind of moments most people pass by without noticing.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 June 2026
  • For Hoyos Padilla, that journey began with a fascination for sharks.
    Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Verb
  • Seen from the other side of the deal, that means that bond issuers must pay higher yields, or rates, for investors to be enticed to buy.
    Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 15 June 2026
  • Financial incentives offered by the conservation district, in conjunction with federal programs, have enticed farmers in the South Fork of the Republican River near Burlington to end irrigation on an additional 20,000 acres.
    Allen Best, Denver Post, 14 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Allure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allure. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.

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