noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation, UK:/sɪˈdʌk.ʃn̩/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American, US:/sɪˈdʌk.ʃn̩/
CMU ARPABET:S IH0 D AH1 K SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The act of seducing.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
Seduction is the fine art of manipulating people based on physical attraction and desire. Step 1: Be attractive. Step 2: Don't be unattractive.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The felony of, as a man, inducing a previously chaste unmarried female to engage in sexual intercourse on a promise of marriage.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, dated, uncountable
Topics: law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A seductive aspect of something; appeal.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, plural-normally, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
enticing someone astray from right behavior
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: enticement, temptation
5
noun
Meaning 5
an act of winning the love or sexual favor of someone
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: conquest
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: success
Narrower terms: sexual conquest, score
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French séduction, from Latin sēductiō, from sēdūcō. Equivalent to seduce + -tion.
Across languages
Translations
41 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
գայթակղում
(gaytʻakġum)
— act of seducing
Armenian:
գայթակղություն
(gaytʻakġutʻyun)
— act of seducing
Bulgarian:
съблазняване
(sǎblaznjavane)
— act of seducing
Bulgarian:
прелъстяване
(prelǎstjavane)
— act of seducing
Catalan:
seducció
— act of seducing
Chinese Mandarin:
誘惑 /诱惑
(yòuhuò)
— act of seducing
Czech:
svádění
— act of seducing
Danish:
forføring
— act of seducing
Dutch:
verleiding
— act of seducing
Finnish:
houkuttelu
— act of seducing
Finnish:
viettely
— act of seducing
French:
séduction
— act of seducing
Galician:
sedución
— act of seducing
German:
Verführung
— act of seducing
Gothic:
𐌿𐍃𐍅𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃
(uswandeins)
— act of seducing
Greek:
αποπλάνηση
(apoplánisi)
— act of seducing
Greek:
ξελόγιασμα
(xelógiasma)
— act of seducing
Hindi:
प्रलोभन
(pralobhan)
— act of seducing
Japanese:
誘惑
(yūwaku)
— act of seducing
Korean:
유혹
(yuhok)
— act of seducing
Latin:
inlectamentum
— act of seducing
Malay:
penggodaan
— act of seducing
Māori:
hīangatanga
— act of seducing
Māori:
whakawaitanga
— act of seducing
Plautdietsch:
Vefierunk
— act of seducing
Polish:
uwodzenie
— act of seducing
Portuguese:
sedução
— act of seducing
Russian:
обольще́ние
(obolʹščénije)
— act of seducing
Russian:
совраще́ние
(sovraščénije)
— act of seducing
