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temptation

temptation

192 3.8
A strong wish to do something, often something you should not do
  • noun
  • /tɛmˈteɪʃən/
translation icon : tentación
  • He faced the temptation to cheat on the test but chose to be honest instead.
  • resist the temptation
  • succumb to the temptation
  • avoid the temptation

And why do we have the temptation towards central planning?

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Examples

  • And I get that people wrestle with temptation all the time.

  • You know that after all these years, you are still a temptation to me.

  • I always look at the temptation to lie as a test.

  • And why do we have the temptation towards central planning?

  • But it's always a temptation on the path.

  • So the temptation is to say, how do I make my partner different?

  • Resist the temptation to do this because it can hold you back.

  • No matter what his excuse, no matter how terrible the temptation, he should never have kissed her!

    Fiction book (1991)
  • So all of this is a temptation to be very firmly resisted.

  • Thus, society must resist the temptation to engage in obfuscation and denial.

    Academic text (2008)

Synonyms

desire
vstemptation
1.6

A strong wish to have or experience something

pulls toward doing something wrong or unwise rather than general wishing
urge
vstemptation
223 3.2

A strong desire to do something

pulls toward doing something wrong or unwise rather than a general push
impulse
vstemptation
185 3.6

A sudden strong want to do something without thinking

pulls toward doing something wrong or unwise and may be longer lasting
craving
vstemptation
78 3.7

A very strong desire for things like food or cigarettes

pulls toward doing something wrong or unwise rather than simple intensity
enticement
vstemptation
8 6.2

Something that attracts someone by offering a reward or pleasure

pulls toward doing something wrong or unwise from within rather than an outside lure
irresistible impulse
vstemptation
1 7.9

A sudden strong desire to do something you cannot control

pulls specifically toward doing something wrong or unwise
appetency
vstemptation
9.9

A strong wish to have or try something

pulls toward doing something wrong or unwise rather than general longing

Antonyms

214 4.0

Refusal to accept a change or new rule

53 3.3

Being able to stop yourself from acting on strong feelings or wants when it is hard

How Tempting

compulsion
40 6.7
obsession
262 5.1
temptation
192 3.8
urge
223 3.2
desire
1.6
inclination
61 4.2

Surface Forms

temptation singular
temptations plural

Morphology

temptation = tempt (transparent) = tempt + ation

Standard noun formation from the verb 'tempt' with '-ation' meaning the act or result of tempting, so the meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

Temptation comes from the Latin verb temptare, which means 'to try' or 'to test', and is the same root as attempt. So a temptation is like a test of your self-control, something that makes you want to do something and shows if you can say no.