Question 1 · Quick check
tantalize
CEFRC1
/ˈtæntəlaɪz/
verb
Türkçe translations
Translating…
In plain English
- 01
verb
To excite desire by showing something wanted but not giving it.
- 02
verb
Extra detailTo be teased by something desirable that is kept out of reach.
Examples
Advertisements often tantalize consumers with products they cannot afford.
Tantalize is the American spelling of the word tantalise.
At a glance
Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale
- Senses
- 3
- Parts of speech
- 1
- Citations
- 5
- Synonyms
- 1
Deep Dive
verb
Extra meaningTo tease (someone) by offering or showing them something desirable but leaving them unsatisfied.
More examples
In contextThe shiny display of jewels will tantalize any passerby in the street.
They could not bear to be tantalized nor tortured by the splendid delusion.
“It was—simply amazing,” she repeated abstractedly. “But I swore I wouldn’t tell it and here I am tantalizing you.”
Related
Quick test
Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.
Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.
Nearby
Origin
verb
From Tantalus (Ancient Greek Τάνταλος (Tántalos)) in Greek mythology, who was condemned to Tartarus in the underworld. There, he had to stand for eternity in water that receded from him when he stooped to drink, beneath fruit trees whose branches were always out of reach. Derived as Tantalus + -ize.