Library / English Dictionary |
TANTALISE
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
I. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they tantalise ... he / she / it tantalises
Past simple: tantalised
-ing form: tantalising
Sense 1
Meaning:
Harass with persistent criticism or carping
Example:
His fellow workers razzed him when he wore a jacket and tie
Synonyms:
bait; cod; rag; rally; razz; ride; tantalise; tantalize; taunt; tease; twit
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Hypernyms (to "tantalise" is one way to...):
bemock; mock (treat with contempt)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "tantalise"):
barrack; flout; gibe; jeer; scoff (laugh at with contempt and derision)
banter; chaff; jolly; josh; kid (be silly or tease one another)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody
Derivation:
tantaliser (someone who tantalizes; a tormentor who offers something desirable but keeps it just out of reach)
Tantalus ((Greek mythology) a wicked king and son of Zeus; condemned in Hades to stand in water that receded when he tried to drink and beneath fruit that receded when he reached for it)