1
as in seduction
the pressure to give in to a desire for easy or immediate pleasure
he felt the temptation to go sailing, but did his chores instead
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in lure
something that persuades one to perform an action for pleasure or gain
money, power, and other overwhelming temptations can seduce a person to a life of crime
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of temptation
Jimmy Carter put his peanut farm in a blind trust upon taking office to avoid the temptation to tilt the policy agenda in a pro-peanut direction.
—
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026
The 27% Self-Automator rate in our study—among highly skilled, motivated professionals who knew their performance was being evaluated—suggests that the temptation to over-delegate is powerful.
—François Candelon, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
In Belize there’s simply less temptation to buy unnecessary things.
—Kathleen Peddicord, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
This will help ensure that each account has a unique, complex password and remove the temptation to use the same password for multiple accounts.
—Lorie Konish, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for temptation
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026
The 27% Self-Automator rate in our study—among highly skilled, motivated professionals who knew their performance was being evaluated—suggests that the temptation to over-delegate is powerful.
—François Candelon, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
In Belize there’s simply less temptation to buy unnecessary things.
—Kathleen Peddicord, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
This will help ensure that each account has a unique, complex password and remove the temptation to use the same password for multiple accounts.
—Lorie Konish, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for temptation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for temptation
Noun
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But the seductions of ChatGPT are hard to resist, and Marsicano noted that the college has seen an increase in code violations due to AI.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The seductions are not just for ratings.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The fragrant flowers in spring and summer lure pollinators like bees and butterflies.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
3 Feb. 2026
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This past year also was elevated by the success that the league’s TV partners had in harnessing the lure of live game coverage to drive larger corporate imperatives — namely, building up the streaming platforms that represent the future for the parent companies of NBC, CBS, ESPN/ABC and Fox.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This isn’t shaping up as one of those years with a McDavid-level or even Bedard-level prospect waiting with the first pick, but in a way that’s even more incentive to tank for dead last, assuring no worse than a top-three pick in a year where that still might get you the best player.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Compared someone making monetary demands, a kidnapper looking to make a statement can be more dangerous because there is less incentive to keep the person alive.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Temptation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/temptation. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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