1
as in luring
to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage
that chocolate dessert sure tempts me, but I should stick with my diet
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in risking
to take a chance on
refusing to lay in enough food for the long winter tempts the dangers of starvation
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in enticing
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tempting
Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 31 Aug. 2025
Washington Avenue teemed with tempting aromas from some of the 50-plus restaurants and food vendors assembled for the event, which typically draws more than 300,000 attendees over four days.
—Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
In a sponsor category long dominated by two giants, the athleisure maker joins a wave of challengers tempting star players with opportunities for creative input—and lucrative financial terms.
—Matt Craig, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tempting
Verb
According to the surveys, the most common danger zones are heights — waterfalls, rooftops, bridges and cliffs that are especially tempting backdrops for dramatic selfies.
—Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 31 Aug. 2025
Washington Avenue teemed with tempting aromas from some of the 50-plus restaurants and food vendors assembled for the event, which typically draws more than 300,000 attendees over four days.
—Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
Our moments of uncanny convergence—like bumping into an old flame at the exact right (or wrong) time—function like indulgences did in the days of Martin Luther, tempting us in the promise of paradise.
—Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
In a sponsor category long dominated by two giants, the athleisure maker joins a wave of challengers tempting star players with opportunities for creative input—and lucrative financial terms.
—Matt Craig, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tempting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tempting
Verb
-
Police arrested a person suspected of kidnapping a man after luring him to a location with promises of a photography session.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Sep. 2025
-
This is because Curaçao has a rich legacy of live performance, with such local genres as ritmo kombina and tumba luring locals into small clubs packed with full-on mini orchestras.—
Baz Dreisinger,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The report comes after analysts — and some Fed officials — for months have debated whether the central bank has waited too long to cut rates, risking a slowdown.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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The proposal, called the Food Eligibility for Education and Development (FEED) Act and introduced by Republican Senator Jon Husted of Ohio, would let young adults in career and technical education (CTE) programs work part time without risking their benefits.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
His own growth stands as an enticing proposition for the Sharks.—
Chris Johnston,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The cat-and-mouse dynamic leads to an enticing game between them that plays out over the show’s seven episodes.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Claude can’t disentangle her years-ago affair with Mathias from feelings of self-recrimination and guilt, and seesaws between anger and seduction.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
-
This is the seduction drawing the ultra rich.—
Lilian Raji,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But after Davina publicly accuses Julia mid-labor of seducing Lord Lovat, the group of women suddenly turn on Julia, yelling at her to repent her sins and repeatedly questioning her about the paternity of her child.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
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The drama follows Veneno (played by non-pro Víctor Miguel), a headstrong young drifter who survives by seducing truck drivers at 24-hour roadside diners called cachimbas.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The latter option is particularly tantalizing because both guards offer valuable skills that could help a playoff hopeful be even more formidable in 2025-26.—
Mat Issa,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
In 2022, biologists began to see some tantalizing clues.—
Veronique Greenwood,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Her voice was loud and hoarse, calling out comments or exhortations concerning the game.—
Rachel Cusk,
New Yorker,
24 Aug. 2025
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But local leaders had no doubt about the perpetrators, even though the state’s campaign had previously been carried out through public exhortations and directives, not clandestine repaintings.—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But much like Howard Jarvis feared, the tax-and-spend interests have sought to destroy Proposition 13 ever since, most recently by persuading courts to carve loopholes in its constitutional protections and invent new ways for government agencies to raise revenue.—
Jon Coupal,
Oc Register,
7 Sep. 2025
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Elizabeth Stage, whose Oakland hills home barely escaped the deadly 1991 firestorm, and whose work as president of the Oakland FireSafe Council involves persuading residents to adopt Zone 0 measures, said the study would be a helpful, persuasive tool.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tempting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempting. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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