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invitation

invitation

40 3.2
A behavior that makes bad or dangerous things likely
  • noun
  • /ˌɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/
translation icon : tentación
  • So in a sense, every story is an invitation to go deeper inside ourselves.

An amber light is an invitation to a conversation.

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Examples

  • The beautiful sunset was an invitation to take a leisurely stroll along the beach.

  • It's much more likely to hold out that invitation to new and surprising pathways.

  • Failure would be an invitation for more war, in even more difficult and dangerous circumstances.

    Academic text (2007)
  • An empty place in the country is an open invitation to trouble, you know.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • It's really an invitation to quiet and calm, to bring in care and compassion.

  • As courts have long since held, the presence of a diving board is an invitation to dive.

    Academic text (2004)
  • It is a chance to explore, an invitation to help solve challenges.

  • Or we can try to use this moment of despair as an invitation to an awakening.

  • I think love is just the ultimate invitation to just experiencing true freedom.

  • "Be wary of appearances... and an unexpected invitation to dinner."

Synonyms

bait
vsinvitation
170 3.4

Something that attracts people by offering a reward or advantage

is the attractive quality rather than the object used to lure
come-on
vsinvitation
  • NSFW
12 7.4

Something meant to attract someone, like a compliment or an ad

is the general tempting quality, not a single deliberate tactic
inducement
vsinvitation
10 6.3

Something that makes someone want to do something

is a tempting quality rather than a specific motive or reward
enticement
vsinvitation
8 6.2

Something that attracts someone by offering a reward or pleasure

focuses on the tempting quality and possible unwise outcome
seduction
vsinvitation
6 5.6

An action that persuades someone to do something wrong or unwise

is a quality that tempts rather than the act of persuading
allurement
vsinvitation
1 7.7

A quality that makes someone want something, for example a place or job

is similar but emphasizes risk of doing something unwise
temptingness
vsinvitation
7.2

A quality that makes people want something and find it hard to refuse

is the same quality but stresses possible unwise action

Antonyms

3 6.2

A strong feeling of dislike and disgust

Compounds

Anyone is welcome to join or take part

How Tempting

temptation
192 3.8
allure
35 5.6
invitation
40 3.2

Surface Forms

invitation singular
invitations plural

Morphology

invitation = invite (semi-transparent) = invite + ation

The same morphological formation (invite + -ation) is used, but this sense is a figurative extension meaning 'a tempting quality,' so the connection to the concrete act of asking may not be fully inferable by all learners.

Etymology

Invitation also came to mean something that 'invites' or attracts someone, because it shares the root with invite meaning 'to call in', so a tempting sign or action can be an 'invitation' to do something.