tantalizing

tantalizing — adjective

1. describing something that makes you feel a strong desire for it, while also maki

1.形容詞B2
釋義

describing something that makes you feel a strong desire for it, while also making you believe you will not be able to get it or enjoy it completely

例句

Fresh bread from the bakery smelled tantalizing to Eleni as she walked past.

tantalizing + smell of fresh bread

A tantalizing job offer in Tokyo tempted Camila, but family kept her from accepting it.

tantalizing + offer as something desired but unreachable

同義詞
  • tempting

    more general; does not necessarily imply the thing is out of reach

  • enticing

    suggests something is deliberately drawing you in, often with a persuasive quality

  • alluring

    emphasises mysterious or visual charm, less about frustration

  • teasing

    more informal and playful; suggests something is dangled just out of reach lightheartedly

反義詞
  • unappealing

    does not create any desire at all

  • repulsive

    creates a strong negative reaction rather than desire

用法筆記

Subject is typically a thing (smell, view, offer, clue) or a situation, not a person. The person experiencing the desire is usually mentioned separately: '[Thing] was tantalizing to [person].' To describe the person's feeling, use tantalized instead.

常見錯誤

❌I feel tantalizing about the job offer.
✅The job offer was tantalizing.
💡tantalizing describes the thing that causes desire, not the person's feeling.
❌The movie was very tantalizing, so I went to see it.
✅The movie trailer was tantalizing, but the film was never released in my country.
💡tantalizing implies the desire was not or may not be satisfied.