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
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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
-
Pratt’s operation involved luring women into pornography through deceit and coercion, with the content later shared online, according to prosecutors.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Nepal The climbing capital of the world, Nepal has been luring mountaineers for decades, including up the busy South Col route to the summit of Mount Everest.—
Katie Lockhart,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
From the first responders risking their lives to the thousands who walked home through the dust and smoke, New Yorkers were bonded by tragedy, and the world was with us.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
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Target also could be risking inconsistent experiences between stores with large fulfillment centers and smaller stores without those centers.—
Dan Gingiss,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
One enticing option is traveling with the tour and guesthouse operator Shakti, which has pioneered community-centric tourism in states including Uttarakhand.—
Katie Lockhart,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
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The upside is enticing, but every option comes with its own quirks, risks, and moving parts.—
Roomy Khan,
Forbes.com,
11 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
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This is the seduction drawing the ultra rich.—
Lilian Raji,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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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
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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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For many owners, the nightly ritual of persuading a pet to leave the bed is an ongoing negotiation—one that frequently ends with the animal winning.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The network seemed to have trouble persuading actual stars to perform.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tempting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempting. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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