as in intrigues
to cause (someone) to feel interest or excitement about something that is very attractive, appealing, etc.
She was tantalized by the possibility of earning a lot of money quickly.
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Recent Examples of tantalizes
But 36–23 still taunts and tantalizes us, a magical missing score that reminds every Scorigami devotee that what’s possible isn’t preordained.
—
Josh Levin, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2025
Set in his native Scotland and lovingly photographed, the film tantalizes even without a terribly original story.
—Stephen Farber, HollywoodReporter, 15 Sep. 2025
Josh Levin, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2025
Set in his native Scotland and lovingly photographed, the film tantalizes even without a terribly original story.
—Stephen Farber, HollywoodReporter, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tantalizes
Verb
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Hopefully, there’s a spot that intrigues you.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
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The menu has a lot of delicious choices, but the one that intrigues my girlfriend is their overnight oat bowl.—
C.W. Cameron,
AJC.com,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But what excites you about doing the 50-km distance race?—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
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Find something that excites you.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The mind thrills to imagine a genderless prophet among the brocades and buckskin breeches of Revolutionary America, weirding out the normies, sticking a flower in the barrel of a musket, and goading the new nation to let its hair down—literally.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
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Monfils draws and then thrills a crowd like few players on tour, producing impossible acts of tennis escapology and delivering winners from all corners of the court.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tantalizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tantalizes. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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