seduce

verb

se·​duce si-ˈdüs 

-ˈdyüs

seduced; seducing

transitive verb

1

: to persuade to disobedience or disloyalty

2

: to lead astray usually by persuasion or false promises

3

: to carry out the physical seduction of : entice to sexual intercourse

4

: attract

seducer noun

Synonyms

• allure
• bait
• beguile
• betray
• decoy
• entice
• lead on
• lure
• solicit
• tempt

Choose the Right Synonym for seduce

lure, entice, inveigle, decoy, tempt, seduce mean to lead astray from one's true course.

lure implies a drawing into danger, evil, or difficulty through attracting and deceiving.

lured naive investors with get-rich-quick schemes

entice suggests drawing by artful or adroit means.

advertising designed to entice new customers

inveigle implies enticing by cajoling or flattering.

fund-raisers inveigling wealthy alumni

decoy implies a luring into entrapment by artifice.

attempting to decoy the enemy into an ambush

tempt implies the presenting of an attraction so strong that it overcomes the restraints of conscience or better judgment.

tempted by the offer of money

seduce implies a leading astray by persuasion or false promises.

seduced by assurances of assistance

Examples of seduce in a Sentence

He tried to seduce her.

She was seduced by an older man.

The other team seduced him with a better offer.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the movie’s greatest scene, the teenage Tashi, a rising tennis star who dazzles everyone who sees her on the court, seduces the lads Art and Patrick with tempting kisses, as if intending to lure them both to bed. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024

Social media companies use psychologically manipulative algorithms, which are particularly harmful to youth, to seduce users to spend more time on their platforms. —Nancy Magee, Orange County Register, 20 Apr. 2024

Still, man is weak and sorcery strong when Odile, Rothbart’s secret agent and Odette doppelganger, seduces the prince at a ball. —Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024

In another of the room’s works, an ancient artist has reimagined the Greek god Apollo trying to seduce the Trojan priestess Cassandra. —Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2024

One man scrambled our common sense, seduced our better natures and rational selves. —Wesley Morris, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024

George’s scheming mother, Mary (Julianne Moore), plots his ascendancy, as George seduces the king and navigates the tangled web of the Stuart court. —Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024

There are smooth-talking Nazi officers whose charm masks their menace and a bombshell vixen expected to outsmart — and potentially seduce — the worst of them, the sadistic yet cunning Heinrich Luhr (Teuton action star Til Schweiger). —Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024

The captain is deeply dedicated to communism and his homeland but is easily seduced by American popular culture. —Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin seducere, from Latin, to lead away, from se- apart + ducere to lead — more at tow entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

seduce

verb

se·​duce si-ˈd(y)üs 

seduced; seducing

1

: to persuade to be disobedient or disloyal

2

: to persuade to do wrong

seduced into crime

3

: to persuade to have sexual intercourse especially for the first time

seducer noun

seduction

-ˈdək-shən

noun