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⇱ tempting - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

tempting

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈtɛmptɪŋ/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(temp′ting)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
tempt•ing  (temp′ting),USA pronunciation adj. 
  1. that tempts;
    enticing or inviting.
  • tempt + -ing2 1540–50
tempt′ing•ly, adv. 
tempt′ing•ness, n. 
    attractive, alluring, seductive.
    repellent.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
tempting /ˈtɛmptɪŋ/ adj
  1. attractive or inviting: a tempting meal
ˈtemptingly adv
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
tempt /tɛmpt/USA pronunciation   v. 
  1. to attract (someone) to do something, esp. something unwise, wrong, or immoral: [~ + object]Satan tempted Jesus in the desert.[~ + object + to + verb]The devil tempted him to sin.
  2. to attract, appeal strongly to, or invite: [~ + object]The offer tempts me.[~ + object + to + verb]He's tempted to take a job in the U.S.
  3. to put to the test in a risky way:[~ + object]You are tempting fate by making all those arrangements for your new home before you buy it.
temp•ta•tion, n. [countable* uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
tempt  (tempt),USA pronunciation v.t. 
  1. to entice or allure to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong, or immoral.
  2. to attract, appeal strongly to, or invite:The offer tempts me.
  3. to render strongly disposed to do something:The book tempted me to read more on the subject.
  4. to put (someone) to the test in a venturesome way;
    provoke:to tempt one's fate.
  5. [Obs.]to try or test.
  • Latin temptāre to probe, feel, test, tempt
  • Middle English 1175–1225
tempt′a•ble, adj. 
    1. Tempt, seduce may both mean to allure or entice to something unwise or wicked. To tempt is to attract by holding out the probability of gratification or advantage, often in the direction of that which is wrong or unwise:to tempt a man with a bribe.To seduce is literally to lead astray, sometimes from that which absorbs one or demands attention, but oftener, in a moral sense, from rectitude, chastity, etc.:to seduce a person away from loyalty. 2. inveigle, induce, lure, incite, persuade.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
tempt /tɛmpt/ vb (transitive)
  1. to attempt to persuade or entice to do something, esp something morally wrong or unwise
  2. to allure, invite, or attract
  3. to give rise to a desire in (someone) to do something; dispose
  4. to risk provoking (esp in the phrase tempt fate)
Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French tempter, from Latin temptāre to testˈtemptable adj ˈtempter n
'tempting' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
In Lists: random, more...
Collocations: is tempting to [buy, try, take, see, use], a tempting [array, selection, range] (of), is too tempting to [say no, refuse, resist, turn down], more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "tempting" in the title:

Convincing vs Tempting
have little tempting to offer
how tempting it is <to?> ignore
is tempting to consider
It is tempting to do something
it is tempting to see a connection between
it is tempting, at last, to turn it out to another
It might be tempting to use that this extra time
it's tempting
It's tempting to
Kinky vs. seductive vs. tempting
like <tempting heaven>
Low interest rates are tempting many customers
Nothing could be more tempting than to become
Tempting
tempting / tempted
tempting as it may be
Tempting fate
tempting my half-belief
tempting offer
tempting the tame
tempting to do something
tempting to tune out until philosophy reawakens
Tempting, enticing vs tantalizing
tempts/tempting you into/in
that tempting other

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