1
as in seduction
the pressure to give in to a desire for easy or immediate pleasure
he felt the temptation to go sailing, but did his chores instead
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in lure
something that persuades one to perform an action for pleasure or gain
money, power, and other overwhelming temptations can seduce a person to a life of crime
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of temptation
After recruiting Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves), a highly successful and morally flexible Florida lawyer with a 100 percent success rate, Milton offers him temptation after temptation — then sits back and lets the process play out, only rarely getting his hands dirty himself.
—
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Measure draw lengths before the shopping begins, and help your protégé resist the temptation to pull too much draw weight.
—The Editors, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
To avoid temptation of a sweet treat, eat a meal or snack before trick-or-treating, the agency says.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
For a category like hanging clothes, refuse the temptation to buy more hangers when all of your existing ones are occupied.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for temptation
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Measure draw lengths before the shopping begins, and help your protégé resist the temptation to pull too much draw weight.
—The Editors, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
To avoid temptation of a sweet treat, eat a meal or snack before trick-or-treating, the agency says.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
For a category like hanging clothes, refuse the temptation to buy more hangers when all of your existing ones are occupied.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for temptation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for temptation
Noun
-
The goddess planet knows the art of seduction, but when transiting Scorpio, her sweetness is equally seductive and mysterious.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Taking inspiration from the Greek enchantress Circe, the fragrance embodies her mythical characteristics of seduction and power, alongside rebellion and creation.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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One beneficiary may be the Catalan-language itself, also satisfying a yearning for authenticity, which is proving a major lure of both films and series.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
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The arrangement empowers the co-investors to pick and choose their own individual deals, the great lure of directs in general.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Nov. 2025
Noun
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People think of puzzle games as endless (or nearly so), and after a day or so, all 35 levels can be soaked in and completed, with only the promise of a higher score as incentive to return.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
11 Nov. 2025
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If a cease-fire would precipitate these becoming realities, as European leaders in the coalition of the willing suggest, then Russia has a strong incentive to avoid a cease-fire altogether, even if combat operations are pursued at a lower intensity.—
Jack Watling,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Temptation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/temptation. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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