Temptation
What sirens offer
Temptation is the pull toward something appealing but inadvisable or forbidden.
The word implies internal struggle—you wouldn't call it temptation unless part of you wanted to resist.
Religious contexts emphasize temptation toward sin: Lead us not into temptation.
More casually, temptation applies to minor indulgences: The chocolate cake was too much temptation to resist.
A temptation is also the tempting thing itself: The open window was a temptation to the cat.
Violation of divine law
- SatanJudeo-Christian arch-enemy of God
- devilEvil supernatural entity
- serpentCunning, limbless reptile
- EdenScriptural original paradise
forbidden fruit · Adam · Eve · fall · morality · virtue · wickedness · soul
Powerful urge to have
- longingIntense, persistent desire
- urgeStrong inner drive
- wantingAbsent or insufficient
- yearningIntense prolonged craving
lust · appetite · enticement · attraction · pull · allure · draw · impulse
Sweet from cacao seeds
- dessertSweet course after dinner
- cakeFrosted baked dessert
- sweetsSugary food items
- treatSomething pleasantly special
splurge · guilty pleasure · decadence · cheesecake · ice cream · wine · luxury · extravagance
Mental strength resisting impulse
- self-controlAbility to restrain impulses
- restraintControl over impulses
- resolveFirmness of purpose
- disciplineTrained self-control or specialty
fortitude · abstinence · denial · refusal · strength · perseverance · determination · resistance
Playful romantic attention
- charmAttractive personal quality
- beautyAesthetic excellence
- allureAttractive, tempting quality
- seductressWoman who entices romantically
femme fatale · siren · enchantment · beguile · captivate · entice · lure · provocative
sin
Violation of divine law
Eden · forbidden fruit · Adam · Eve · fall · morality · virtue · wickedness · soul · redemption
craving
Powerful urge to have
yearning · lust · appetite · enticement · attraction · pull · allure · draw · impulse · itch
chocolate
Sweet from cacao seeds
treat · splurge · guilty pleasure · decadence · cheesecake · ice cream · wine · luxury · extravagance · shopping
willpower
Mental strength resisting impulse
- self-controlAbility to restrain impulses
- restraintControl over impulses
- resolveFirmness of purpose
discipline · fortitude · abstinence · denial · refusal · strength · perseverance · determination · resistance · succumb
flirtation
Playful romantic attention
seductress · femme fatale · siren · enchantment · beguile · captivate · entice · lure · provocative · tantalizing
- MichelangeloDavid, Sistine Chapel, Sistine Chapel ceiling, Last Judgment, Creation of Adam
- Biblical ScenesLast Supper, Annunciation, Adam and Eve, Resurrection, Garden of Eden
- Mystery Playspassion plays, Corpus Christi, Acts of the Apostles
- ParsifalWagner, Holy Grail
Temptationrepulsion
Disgust or pushing-away force
aversion · deterrent · deterrence · revulsion · disgust
Temptationdeterrence
Prevention via threatened consequences
prohibition · warning · dissuasion · restraint · inhibition
Temptationvirtue
Moral goodness or merit
righteousness · grace · salvation · redemption · sanctification
- The Temptations
- temptation of ChristSatan's desert testing of Jesus
- temptation of JesusDevil's desert challenge
- Temptation IslandDating competition reality series