tantalizing

[ tan-tl-ahy-zing ]

adjective

1. 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 Words From

• tanta·lizing·ly adverb
• un·tanta·lizing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tantalizing¹

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

Example Sentences

The findings also cast the humble single-cell creatures in a new, more tantalizing light: They are not merely molecular machines packed in microscopic bodies, but they are also agents that can learn.

From Science Daily

It was absolutely tantalizing, came together in under a half hour and called for only a handful of ingredients.

From Salon

It was a typically tantalizing New York night owned by — sorry, it must be said — Los Angeles, Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

You are buying a myth, albeit a tantalizing one, that the chain restaurants that are so ubiquitous across the country are actually good for us, the real heroes of the American food industry.

From Los Angeles Times

As for the highly unlikely — but also highly tantalizing — idea of Ohtani taking the mound in a playoff game?

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• alluring