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
Electronics Keeping your phone or laptop on the nightstand is a sleep-robbing temptation.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 23 Apr. 2026
Picking up the pace and attacking earlier in the clock will also limit the temptation to be a stagnant one-man show on offense.
—William Guillory, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Cook has avoided that temptation, but a new CEO could bring a new point of view.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
The businesses that stay relevant are usually the ones that resist the temptation to optimize every rough edge away.
—Seth Yudof, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for temptation
Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 23 Apr. 2026
Picking up the pace and attacking earlier in the clock will also limit the temptation to be a stagnant one-man show on offense.
—William Guillory, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Cook has avoided that temptation, but a new CEO could bring a new point of view.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
The businesses that stay relevant are usually the ones that resist the temptation to optimize every rough edge away.
—Seth Yudof, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for temptation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for temptation
Noun
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Onscreen, the seduction was working.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The seduction was really his personality and his focus on the children.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Over the past half century, the federal government has been trying to persuade Americans to build savings to cover their retirement, and to supplement Social Security, using tax breaks as a lure.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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Just how Canneseries achieved this says much about the lure of Cannes and a screening in the 2,300-seat Grand Theatre Lumière, one of the most iconic cinemas in the world.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Grace Backian, director of the Northern Philippines Root Crops Research and Training Center, said that’s largely because there’s no financial incentive for farmers to plant more.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
3 May 2026
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Most states have some sort of incentive in place to benefit EV buyers, including tax credits or rebates, or utility rate reductions, according to a 2023 report from the National Conference of State Legislators, a bipartisan nonprofit group for state legislators and their staff.—
Sarah Agostino,
CNBC,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Temptation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/temptation. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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