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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of temptation
Hochul, a child care and affordability champion, may yield to election-year temptation to balloon myriad programs.
—
Andrew Rein, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
Dinner at Veranda had its own temptations, including the prime beef filet offered with traditional sauces and the Dungeness crab wedge salad with Louis dressing—practically an entrée in itself.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2026
His fall played as tabloid morality tale, at once confirming secular suspicion about hypocritical Christians and Christian suspicions about the temptations of secular trappings.
—Sam Kestenbaum, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
But the old temptations were still there.
—Ethan Brooks, The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for temptation
Andrew Rein, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
Dinner at Veranda had its own temptations, including the prime beef filet offered with traditional sauces and the Dungeness crab wedge salad with Louis dressing—practically an entrée in itself.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2026
His fall played as tabloid morality tale, at once confirming secular suspicion about hypocritical Christians and Christian suspicions about the temptations of secular trappings.
—Sam Kestenbaum, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
But the old temptations were still there.
—Ethan Brooks, The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for temptation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for temptation
Noun
-
Due to a positive audience response to the pairing, the writers retconned the scene as a seduction, rather than rape.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
22 Dec. 2025
-
For years, Laura's rape was treated as a sort of seduction — until 1998 when Luke and Laura's son Lucky (Jonathan Jackson) finds out the dark history behind his parents' romance.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
In spin fishing, the weight of the lure carries the line out to the water.—
Francesca Krempa,
Outside,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Even the lure of oil money makes little sense.—
Trudy Rubin,
Twin Cities,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The official boundaries of the new stadium incentive district have not yet been finalized.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The grocer will also receive a $50,000 retailer incentive bonus.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Temptation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/temptation. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
