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Glite Dictionary
tantalization

tantalization

9.0
Teasing someone by keeping something they want out of reach
  • noun
  • /ˌtæn.tə.lɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/
translation icon : tantalización
  • The tantalization of the delicious dessert made me crave sweets even more.

Examples

  • The tantalization of knowing the secret kept everyone on the edge of their seats.

  • She felt the tantalization of the distant sound of the ocean waves, but couldn't reach the beach.

  • And divinity school was the ultimate tantalization; his gaze focused intently on something he would never see.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The unexplained fratricide is the keystone of that tantalization: in questions of character, surely kin-slaying should be a high trump card, making condemnation easy, but the poem's reticence refuses the audience.

    Academic text (2016)

Synonyms

harassment
vstantalization
596 4.6

Repeatedly annoying or frightening someone to upset them

keeps something desirable out of reach to annoy or tempt rather than intimidate
teasing
vstantalization
  • Offensive
18 2.3

Making fun of someone, often playfully but sometimes hurtfully

focuses on holding back wanted items to annoy or tempt someone over time
tease
vstantalization
17 4.0

An act of making fun of someone in a playful way

keeps desirable things out of reach to torment or provoke repeatedly
badgering
vstantalization
3 7.5

Repeated annoying demands or questions from someone

relies on tormenting by withholding or persistent annoyance rather than direct coercion
goading
vstantalization
1 7.0

An act of trying to make someone do something by teasing or urging them again and again

presses with that act to keep desire unresolved rather than urging action

Antonyms

satisfaction
192 2.2

A pleasant feeling when you achieve something or your needs are met

How Provoking

persecution
97 6.5
torment
  • NSFW
70 5.6
tantalization
9.0
harassment
596 4.6
taunting
  • Offensive
5.8
teasing
  • Offensive
18 2.3

Surface Forms

tantalization singular
tantalizations plural

Morphology

tantalization = tantalize (transparent) = tantalize + ation

Clear and regular noun formation from the verb 'tantalize' indicating the act or process of tantalizing.

Etymology

Tantalization comes from the Greek king Tantalus, who was punished by standing in water under fruit and drink he could never reach. So to tantalize someone is to 'tease' them by keeping what they want 'just out of reach', which is why tantalization means that kind of torment.