Synonyms

tantalize

American

[tan-tl-ahyz] / ˈtæn tlˌaɪz /

especially British, tantalise

verb (used with object)

tantalized, tantalizing

to torment with, or as if with, the sight of something desired but out of reach; tease by arousing expectations that are repeatedly disappointed.

Synonyms:

frustrate, tempt, taunt, provoke

Antonyms:

satisfy

tantalize British

/ ˈtæntəˌlaɪz /

verb

(tr) to tease or make frustrated, as by tormenting with the sight of something greatly desired but inaccessible

"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

tantalization noun
tantalizer noun
tantalizing adjective
tantalizingly adverb
untantalized adjective

Etymology

Origin of tantalize

First recorded in 1590–1600; Tantal(us) + -ize

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.

LONDON—United Airlines dangled a tantalizing offer a day before my flight to San Francisco.

From The Wall Street Journal

So-called leveraged exchange-traded funds offer a tantalizing prospect—to double, or sometimes triple, stock market moves.

From Barron's

He may have tantalized the crowds with promises of one more thing, but he always believed in the power of fewer things.

From The Wall Street Journal

Cancer vaccines have long tantalized and frustrated researchers.

From The Wall Street Journal

He seemed like the sort of tantalizing five-star talent who could change not just the present but future of a program.

From Los Angeles Times

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