tantalize

v. tease, provoke or tease by presenting something as available and then withholding it; expose someone to something inaccessible; annoy; criticize (also tantalise)

This article is about the mythological character. For other uses, see Tantalus (disambiguation). In Greek mythology Tantalus (Greek Τάνταλος) was a son of Zeus  and the nymph Plouto ("riches") Thus he was a king in the primordial world, the father of a son Broteas whose very name signifies "mortals" (brotoi) Other versions name his father as Tmolus "wreathed with oak," son of Sipylus, a king of Lydia. Both Tmolus and Mount Sipylus are names of mountains in ancient Lydia. Thus, like other Greek heroes such as Theseus, or the Dioskouroi, Tantalus had both a hidden, divine sire and a mortal one. Tantalus' mortal mountain-fathers placed him in Lydia; otherwise he might be located in Phrygia (Strabo, xii.8.21) or Paphlagonia, all in Asia Minor. Tantalus became one of the inhabitants of Tartarus, the deepest portion of the Underworld, reserved for the punishment of evildoers.
See more at Wikipedia.org...

Verb
1. harass with persistent criticism or carping; "The children teased the new teacher"; "Don't ride me so hard over my failure"; "His fellow workers razzed him when he wore a jacket and tie"
(synonym) tease, razz, rag, cod, tantalise, bait, taunt, twit, rally, ride
(hypernym) mock, bemock
(hyponym) jeer, scoff, flout, barrack, gibe
(derivation) tantalizer, tantaliser

v. tantalize, tempt or tease by presenting something as available and then withholding it

(v. t.)
To tease or torment by presenting some good to the view and exciting desire, but continually frustrating the expectations by keeping that good out of reach; to tease; to torment.