Adjacent Words

Tantalize definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TAN'TALIZE, v.t. [from Tantalus, in fable, who was condemned for his crimes to perpetual hunger and thirst, with food and water near him which he could not reach.]
To tease or torment by presenting some good to the view and exciting desire, but continually frustrating the expectations by keeping that good out of reach; to tease; to torment.
Thy vain desires, at strife
Within themselves, have tantaliz'd thy life.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: harass with persistent criticism or carping; "The children teased the new teacher"; "Don't ride me so hard over my failure"; "His fellow workers razzed him when he wore a jacket and tie" [syn: tease, razz, rag, cod, tantalize, tantalise, bait, taunt, twit, rally, ride]

Merriam Webster's

verb (-lized; -lizing) Etymology: Tantalus Date: 1597 transitive verb to tease or torment by or as if by presenting something desirable to the view but continually keeping it out of reach intransitive verb to cause one to be tantalized • tantalizer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. (also -ise) 1 torment or tease by the sight or promise of what is unobtainable. 2 raise and then dash the hopes of; torment with disappointment. Derivatives: tantalization n. tantalizer n. tantalizingly adv. Etymology: Gk Tantalos mythical king of Phrygia condemned to stand in water that receded when he tried to drink it and under branches that drew back when he tried to pick the fruit

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tantalize Tan"ta*lize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tantalized; p. pr. & vb. n. Tantalizing.] [From Tantalus: cf. F. tantaliser.] To tease or torment by presenting some good to the view and exciting desire, but continually frustrating the expectations by keeping that good out of reach; to tease; to torment. Thy vain desires, at strife Within themselves, have tantalized thy life. --Dryden. Syn: To tease; vex; irritate; provoke. Usage: Tantalize, Disappoint. To disappoint is literally to do away with what was (or was taken to be) appointed; hence the peculiar pain from hopes thus dashed to the ground. To tantalize, a much stronger term, describes a most distressing form of disappointment, as in the case of Tantalus, the Phrygian king. To tantalize is to visit with the bitterest disappointment -- to torment by exciting hopes or expectations which can never be realized.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(tantalizes, tantalizing, tantalized) Note: in BRIT, also use 'tantalise' If someone or something tantalizes you, they make you feel hopeful and excited about getting what you want, usually before disappointing you by not letting you have what they appeared to offer. ...the dreams of democracy that have so tantalized them. VERB: V n • tantalizing A tantalising aroma of roast beef fills the air. ADJ • tantalizingly She went away disappointed after getting tantalisingly close to breaking the record... ADV: ADV adj, ADV with v, ADV with cl

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Torment (by exciting hopes and refusing to gratify them), vex, tease, irritate, provoke, disappoint, balk, frustrate.

Moby Thesaurus

affect the interest, allure, annoy, appeal, attract, badger, baffle, bait, balk, be attractive, becharm, beckon, bedevil, beleaguer, bewitch, bilk, captivate, carry away, cast down, charm, concern, cross, dash, defeat, defeat expectation, disappoint, disillusion, dissatisfy, draw on, enamor, endear, engage, enrapture, excite, excite interest, fascinate, fetch, foil, frustrate, gnaw, harass, harry, hold in thrall, infatuate, inflame with love, interest, invite, involve in, let down, pester, pique, plague, provoke, seduce, stimulate, summon, taunt, tease, tempt, thwart, tickle, titillate, torment, torture, vamp, whet the appetite