tantalize
/ˈtæntəlaɪz/ verb
Forms tantalizes tantalizing tantalized tantalise
- verb (transitive) To tease (someone) by offering or showing them something desirable but leaving them unsatisfied.
- verb (intransitive, obsolete) To be teased by something desirable that is kept out of reach.
Synonyms
Etymology
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.
Webster’s 1913
- verb 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.
Etymology [From Tantalus: cf. F. tantaliser.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “tantalize”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details