Tantalize
Etymology
From Tantalus, a king punished in the Greek underworld for offenses against the gods by standing in a pool that receded whenever he stooped to drink, beneath fruit that pulled away whenever he reached — eternal, unsatisfiable craving. His name gave English "tantalize," to torment with the almost-attainable. The word carries that precise cruelty of proximity without possession.
verb · /TAN-tuh-lyze/
To tease with something desirable that stays just out of reach.
What it names
For the specific torment of near-access — a reward dangled close but perpetually withheld.
Example
The trailer tantalized fans with a glimpse of the finale, then cut to black.
Related idea
To tantalize is to dangle something almost within reach; to entice is simply to attract — the difference is the deliberate, frustrating withholding.
See also