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
The White House must resist the temptation to get directly involved in the Kashmir dispute.
—
Lisa Curtis, Foreign Affairs, 13 May 2025
Decide what to do with each item promptly to avoid any temptation to keep holding onto it.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 May 2025
Set in a prestigious school in Guadalajara, the story explores ethics, temptation, and chaos triggered by a seemingly minor incident between two students.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
Heise cautions against the temptation to derive sociocultural ethics and political stances from ecological science.
—Abby Clayton, JSTOR Daily, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for temptation
Lisa Curtis, Foreign Affairs, 13 May 2025
Decide what to do with each item promptly to avoid any temptation to keep holding onto it.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 May 2025
Set in a prestigious school in Guadalajara, the story explores ethics, temptation, and chaos triggered by a seemingly minor incident between two students.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
Heise cautions against the temptation to derive sociocultural ethics and political stances from ecological science.
—Abby Clayton, JSTOR Daily, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for temptation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for temptation
Noun
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Readers understood the necessity of balancing discretion and seduction, subtlety and audacity.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 May 2025
-
The Renaissance’s old love language — the naughty puns, the sighs of longing and strategies of seduction, the paeans to the beauty of beloveds masked by fanciful Greek and Latin names — had grown obsolete long before Millay’s time.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Noun
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However, the lure, history and emotion of the English game is continually attracting investors to capture these distressed clubs, restructure and revive them, with the aim of replicating the success of Bournemouth, going from administration to Premier League in six years.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
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The 4-year-old was captured in Blue Springs Tuesday, April 22, with a fishing lure pinned to her lip, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported in an April 23 Facebook post.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Use incentive campaigns to drive reach growth and engagement, which will enhance conversions across your websites and platforms.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
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An example of the latter includes receiving restricted stock units (RSUs) or exercising incentive stock options (ISOs).—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Temptation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/temptation. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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