tantalize
verb
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Pity poor King Tantalus of Lydia. The mythic monarch offended the ancient Greek gods. As punishment, according to Homer's Odyssey, he was plunged up to his chin in water in Hades, where he had to stand beneath overhanging boughs of a tree heavily laden with ripe, juicy fruit. But though he was always hungry and thirsty, Tantalus could neither drink the water nor eat the fruit. Anytime he moved to get them, they would retreat from his reach. Our word tantalize is taken from the name of the eternally tormented king.
Examples of tantalize in a Sentence
Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
Both art forms tantalize the senses, evoke profound emotions, and create lasting memories that linger long after the experience has concluded.
—Noel Burgess, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
There is something almost dangerously tantalizing about an undiscovered shipwreck.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Amazing Mazes British designer Adrian Fisher has created hundreds of mazes around the work – works of art that tantalize and confound those who try to navigate through hedgerows, corn stalks, yew trees, or lights.
—David Morgan, CBS News, 25 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near tantalize
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“Tantalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tantalize. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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tantalize
verb
from Greek Tantalus, name of a king in mythology
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