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Synonyms

alluring

American  
[uh-loor-ing] / əˈlʊər ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. very attractive or tempting; enticing; seductive.

  2. fascinating; charming.


alluring British  
/ əˈljʊərɪŋ, əˈlʊə- /

adjective

  1. enticing; fascinating; attractive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • alluringly adverb
  • alluringness noun
  • unalluring adjective
  • unalluringly adverb

Etymology

Origin of alluring

First recorded in 1525–35; allure + -ing 2

Explanation

Something alluring is attractive and enticing. Alluring things are tempting. You might notice the word lure lurking in alluring — that's because alluring things lure people in by getting them excited and inspiring desire. Sometimes that's in a romantic way, like when someone puts on an alluring perfume before a date. But a homemade chocolate cake would also be pretty alluring to a chocolate lover, just as free World Series tickets would be alluring to a baseball fan.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing alluring

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.

The book’s playful interrogation of traditional gender expectations is sharpened with the introduction of 1855 Caleb, a fantasy and a nightmare, a stern, quiet man who Natalie finds both terrifying and alluring.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

Captive in bucolic panopticons, their lives are at once aesthetically alluring, depressingly regressive and anthropologically fascinating.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

But the electorate appear to be telling Labour at the moment experience is a double-edged sword and the prospect of the new and novel appears alluring to many.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

Add it all together and gold looks ever-more alluring.

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

In Willie-Jay his vanity had found support, his sensibility shelter, and the four-month exile from this high-carat appreciation had made it more alluring than any dream of buried gold.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote