Synonyms

tantalizing

American

[tan-tl-ahy-zing] / ˈtæn tlˌaɪ zɪŋ /

adjective

having or exhibiting something that provokes or arouses expectation, interest, or desire, especially that which remains unobtainable or beyond one's reach.

a tantalizing taste of success.

Other Word Forms

tantalizingly adverb
untantalizing adjective

Etymology

Origin of tantalizing

First recorded in 1650–60; tantalize + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A journey into the wilderness of 18th-century Canada starts with a tantalizing mineral sample brought back to an English outpost.

From The Wall Street Journal

This elusive, tantalizing novel aims for the effect of the raga—to conjure “the sadness, the richness, the pleasure of the waiting and the wandering.”

From The Wall Street Journal

His precious moments are not memories of an idealized past, nor projections of a tantalizing dream, but interventions in our complex present that reveal beautiful and unsettling layers.

From Los Angeles Times

They’re inspiring and tantalizing, each salad photo a beautiful showcase of visual media at its finest.

From Salon

There were tantalizing glimpses in the second half against Iowa.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023