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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All of these have a spiritual edge to them that intrigues me, too.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
15 Dec. 2025
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What intrigues you about circling back to the original Power world and that complicated dynamic with Tariq?—
Derek Lawrence,
Vulture,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Tapascott said speed alone no longer excites drivers.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
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This is prime energy for planning, learning, or reconnecting with a long-term vision that excites you.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
4 Jan. 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 16 Jan. 2026.
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