Temptation - Definition and Overview

A temptation is an act that looks appealing to an individual, usually viewed as being immoral, or sin, and as such tends to lead a person to regret such actions as a result of guilt. Temptation as a verb describes the act of coaxing or alluring one to commit such an act.

Religious Use

In religion, typically Satan and other devils are denoted as being the source of temptation. As used in the Lord's Prayer, temptation refers to evil that is tempting, or in other words, the sate of being in tempted of Satan. Temptation generally involves being tempted to commit crime or any other act of immorality.

Seduction, a more specific form of temptation, commonly refers to the actions of another person used to entice an individual to engage in misconduct, typically involving sexual immorality.

Secular Use

Outside of religion, it may be said that a person is "tempted" to do something that is not necessarily immoral, such as choosing junk food over something more nutritious or engaging in a frivolous activity when other needs are more pressing.

Temptation is also a theme involved in advertising and marketing a product in order to make a product more attractive for purchase by a consumer.

Example Usage of Temptation