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 extreme weirdness of national politics has led to a temptation to see a new Republican Party just over the horizon, defined by rejecting its tax-cutting and program-slashing tradition.
—
Dylan Matthews, Vox, 22 May 2025
But the White House must resist the temptation to get directly involved in the Kashmir dispute.
—Lisa Curtis, Foreign Affairs, 13 May 2025
This policy of containment has persisted ever since, whereby politicians of the right and center-right could at once embrace Head Start and reject the communist temptations of comprehensive child care—and also reject a more generous social safety net over all.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 10 May 2025
Outdoor Living Spaces Finally owning a yard of your own is exciting, but avoid the temptation to go overboard on the projects out here.
—Tessa Cooper, Southern Living, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for temptation
Dylan Matthews, Vox, 22 May 2025
But the White House must resist the temptation to get directly involved in the Kashmir dispute.
—Lisa Curtis, Foreign Affairs, 13 May 2025
This policy of containment has persisted ever since, whereby politicians of the right and center-right could at once embrace Head Start and reject the communist temptations of comprehensive child care—and also reject a more generous social safety net over all.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 10 May 2025
Outdoor Living Spaces Finally owning a yard of your own is exciting, but avoid the temptation to go overboard on the projects out here.
—Tessa Cooper, Southern Living, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for temptation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for temptation
Noun
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Viewers eager for strategy and a touch of seduction will find everything waiting when Scandal lands back on Netflix on June 17.—
Tahar Rajab,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 May 2025
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Especially in the language, there’s a lot of seduction in the lyrics.—
Vita Dadoo,
Rolling Stone,
15 May 2025
Noun
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The lure of Bayern is that Wirtz knows the Bundesliga inside out and if anything, joining a more dominant force will make his life easier.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
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Recruiters trick, lure, cajole, or simply abduct the children from their homes and send them across the country, where they are sold to the highest bidders.—
Elizabeth Dickinson,
Foreign Affairs,
8 May 2025
Noun
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The Biden administration sought to encourage manufacturers to build in the United States, but those efforts are still in their early stages, and many of the government incentives are now on the chopping block.—
Dan Gearino,
Wired News,
31 May 2025
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With a tiny sliver of activist voters holding the same power to deny a candidate an office as a majority of the broad general electorate, the incentives for bipartisanship have all but disappeared in most states and districts.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Temptation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/temptation. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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