🍪 To tempt 😏 To tease harshly

to tantalize

1 8.2

To tease someone with repeated mean or mocking remarks

verb
/ˈtæn.tə.laɪz/

: tentar

He likes to tantalize her with rumors of a big surprise for her birthday.

Examples

"Haven't you tantalized me enough?

Fiction book (1991)
Her nose was mercilessly tantalized.

Fiction book (1995)
The teacher used sarcasm to tantalize her students about their test results.
Seeing the cake in the window seemed to tantalize him as he walked by.

Synonyms

to harass

vsto tantalize

302 4.0

Annoy someone again and again to make them feel worried or uncomfortable

adds a sharper, persistent personal criticism aim rather than general trouble

to annoy

vsto tantalize

246 1.0

Make someone slightly angry or bothered by small repeated actions

is more severe, using cutting remarks to harass persistently

to tease

vsto tantalize

245 1.9

To make fun of someone in a way that annoys them

is less playful and more about harsh, cutting harassment

to provoke

vsto tantalize

144 3.6

Annoy someone again and again to make them react

uses more biting, cutting remarks aimed at harassment

to taunt

vsto tantalize

Offensive

93 5.8

To mock someone again and again to make them angry or upset

is more about sustained cutting criticism rather than open mocking

to ride

vsto tantalize

Offensive

62 7.5

To annoy someone by criticizing them again and again

is similar but emphasizes sharper cutting remarks to wound

to bait

vsto tantalize

35 6.8

To tease someone to make them angry or upset

relies more on sustained cutting remarks rather than general teasing

to pester

vsto tantalize

34 3.2

To annoy someone by asking for things again and again

targets feelings with cutting persistent criticism rather than mere requests

to antagonize

vsto tantalize

31 7.6

To make someone angry or unfriendly

does more than provoke, using repeated cutting comments to harass

to get under one's skin

vsto tantalize

Informal

25 7.2

To annoy someone again and again so they feel bothered

focuses instead on ongoing sharp remarks meant to harass

to goad

vsto tantalize

14 6.9

To urge someone to act by annoying or teasing them

focuses more on verbal cutting aimed solely to harass

to get a rise out of

vsto tantalize

Informal

8 6.8

Make someone angry or annoyed on purpose by teasing them

is more about continuous sharp criticism rather than occasional provocation

to nag

vsto tantalize

Informal

8 2.6

To keep criticizing or telling someone to do things in an annoying way

is more sharply critical with intent to harass emotionally

to needle

vsto tantalize

8 7.7

To annoy someone by teasing them repeatedly

is even more focused on ongoing harsh, personal criticism

to get on someone's nerves

vsto tantalize

Informal

7 4.9

To bother someone again and again until they feel angry

uses more pointed, cutting remarks that harass rather than just irritate

to razz

vsto tantalize

Informal

5 9.1

To tease someone in a playful or annoying way

is more hostile, using cutting persistent criticism instead of play

to rally

vsto tantalize

5 5.2

To tease someone repeatedly in a friendly way

is less good natured and more sharply critical and hurtful

to twit

vsto tantalize

Offensive

4 9.8

To tease someone again and again with small mean remarks

uses sharper, sustained cutting remarks aiming to harass emotionally

to peck

vsto tantalize

3 8.0

To annoy someone with small, repeated complaints

is stronger by using cutting remarks rather than trivial nagging

to push someone's buttons

vsto tantalize

Informal

1 7.1

To do or say something on purpose to annoy someone

is aimed more at repeated cutting remarks to wound rather than single acts

to rag

vsto tantalize

Informal

1 7.2

To tease someone repeatedly, either playfully or cruelly

leans more toward sustained pointed criticism meant to wound

to get one's dander up

vsto tantalize

Informal

1 9.1

To make someone angry

is more about sustained verbal cutting and personal harassment

to rattle the cage

vsto tantalize

Informal

1 7.8

To do or say something on purpose to upset someone and see their reaction

relies more on ongoing cutting remarks to harass someone

to yank someone's chain

vsto tantalize

Informal

1 8.7

Tease someone to make them react

is meaner and uses sustained critical remarks to harass

to bust someone's chops

vsto tantalize

Informal

1 9.0

To tease or nag someone, often in a playful way

uses more severe critical remarks aimed to harass rather than joke

to break someone's chops

vsto tantalize

Archaic

8.7

To tease or nag someone in a way that annoys them

is harsher, using cutting sustained criticism rather than playful nagging

to nudzh

vsto tantalize

Informal

9.9

To keep asking or complaining to make someone do something

uses harsher verbal cutting to harass rather than mere pestering

Antonyms

to satisfy

172 2.0

Make someone happy by meeting their need or wish

How Harsh

to persecute

98 7.0

to torment

NSFW

107 7.2

to tantalize

1 8.2

mock

Offensive

27 5.5

taunt

Offensive

19 5.4

to tease

245 1.9

Surface Forms

tantalize infinitive

tantalized past

tantalized past participle

tantalizing present participle

tantalizes third person singular

Morphology

tantalize = Tantalus (opaque) = tantal + ize

Formed from the mythological name 'Tantalus' plus the productive verb-forming suffix '-ize'; the meaning requires knowledge of the myth and is not inferable by an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Tantalize comes from a Greek story about the king Tantalus, who was punished by being forced to stand in water he could not drink and under fruit he could not reach; so to 'tantalize' someone can mean to tease or annoy them again and again.