seduction
/sɪˈdʌkʃən/ · se·duc·tion
noun
- The act of enticing someone, especially into sexual activity, by appealing to desire or emotion. The novel explores the seduction of the protagonist by a charismatic stranger.
- The quality or power of being alluring, tempting, or attractive. Her natural seduction made her a popular figure at the gala.
- A scheme or stratagem intended to lure someone into a particular course of action, often immoral or harmful. The cult's seduction of vulnerable youths was later exposed by investigators.
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Did you know? In early modern English law, 'seduction' referred to a specific crime—‘seduction of a virgin’—where a man could be prosecuted for having sexual relations with an unmarried woman, reflecting the term's moral weight at the time.