tantalize

verb

tan·​ta·​lize ˈtan-tə-ˌlīz How to pronounce tantalize (audio)
tantalized; tantalizing
Synonyms of tantalizenext

transitive verb

: to tease or torment by or as if by presenting something desirable to the view but continually keeping it out of reach

intransitive verb

: to cause one to be tantalized
tantalizer noun

Did you know?

Pity poor King Tantalus of Lydia. The mythic monarch offended the ancient Greek gods. As punishment, according to Homer's Odyssey, he was plunged up to his chin in water in Hades, where he had to stand beneath overhanging boughs of a tree heavily laden with ripe, juicy fruit. But though he was always hungry and thirsty, Tantalus could neither drink the water nor eat the fruit. Anytime he moved to get them, they would retreat from his reach. Our word tantalize is taken from the name of the eternally tormented king.

Examples of tantalize in a Sentence

She was tantalized by the possibility of earning a lot of money quickly.
Recent Examples on the Web That’s the tantalizing prospect being touted by former L.A. Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, who this morning announced his entry into the TikTok fray. —David Meyer, Fortune, 15 May 2024 Amidst the vibrant artwork and tantalizing cuisine that line the festival grounds, music takes center stage across its 13 dynamic stages, attracting nearly half a million music lovers from near and far. —Shelby Stewart, Essence, 2 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for tantalize 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tantalize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Tantalus

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of tantalize was in 1597

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries Near tantalize

tantalization

tantalize

tantalizing

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Tantalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tantalize. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

tantalize

verb
tan·​ta·​lize ˈtant-ᵊl-ˌīz How to pronounce tantalize (audio)
tantalized; tantalizing
: to tease or torment by or as if by presenting something desirable to the view but continually keeping it out of reach
tantalizingly
-ˌī-ziŋ-lē
adverb
Etymology

from Greek Tantalus, name of a king in mythology

Word Origin
In Greek mythology, King Tantalus offended the gods, so they punished him in a truly terrible way. He was forced to stand in a lake whose water came up to his neck. But every time Tantalus became thirsty and bent over to drink, the water level dropped so that he could never reach it. Above his head were branches loaded with delicious fruits. Yet every time Tantalus reached up to take a fruit, the branches moved up out of reach, leaving him hungry. Thus, Tantalus was always in torment, and from his name comes the English word for tormenting or teasing someone in a similar way.
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Absent Letters That Are Heard Anyway

How to Use Accents and Diacritical Marks
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Pilfer: How to Play and Win

The Words of the Week - May 24

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

9 Superb Owl Words

10 Words for Lesser-Known Games and Sports
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game You can make only 12 words. Pick the best ones!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A crossword with a twist
winning words from the national spelling bee logo
Spelling Bee Quiz Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...