temptation

noun

temp·​ta·​tion tem(p)-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce temptation (audio)
Synonyms of temptation
1
: the act of tempting or the state of being tempted especially to evil : enticement
2
: something tempting : a cause or occasion of enticement

Synonyms of temptation

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Examples of temptation in a Sentence

Money is always a temptation. The dessert menu has a lot of delicious temptations. the temptations of the city
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As the frontman of the Killers, Flowers, 45, has spent more than two decades singing about the struggles and the temptations at the heart of the American dream. — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026 As a surgeon surrounded every day by the fragile line between life and death, temptation is never far away. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026 The Optimization Trap getty The temptation will be to interpret these returns as a mandate to apply AI more aggressively to existing processes. — Brian Solis, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026 And resist the temptation to divert urgent discussions toward thorny disputes. — Geoffrey Irving, Time, 3 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for temptation

Word History

Etymology

Middle English temptacioun "testing, enticement to sin," borrowed from Anglo-French tentacion, borrowed from Late Latin temptātiōn-, temptātiō "enticement to sin," going back to Latin, "attempt, attack," from temptāre "to feel, test, attempt, make an assault on, attack" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at tempt

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of temptation was in the 13th century

Rhymes for temptation

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Browse Nearby Words

temptable
temptation
temptational
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Cite this Entry

“Temptation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/temptation. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

temptation

noun
temp·​ta·​tion tem(p)-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce temptation (audio)
1
: the act of tempting : the state of being tempted especially to evil
2
: something tempting
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