Siren
noun /ˈsaɪrən/ — Something irresistibly beautiful that leads you toward danger.
Definition
In Greek mythology, a creature whose enchanting music lured sailors onto rocks; anything irresistibly alluring but potentially dangerous; a device that emits a warning sound.
Beyond the definition
The sirens sang to Odysseus and his crew — music so beautiful that sailors steered toward it without being able to stop themselves. The metaphor now describes anything whose beauty contains a trap: a person whose charm draws you in before you notice the cost, an idea that sounds perfect but destroys on arrival.
Origin & history
From Greek Seirēn — mythological creatures who lured sailors to their deaths with beautiful singing. Often depicted as half-woman, half-bird.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The startup's pitch was a siren — compelling, beautiful, and built on assumptions that collapsed in practice.
He knew she was a siren in every sense: the most attractive, least sustainable relationship he'd ever have.
Fame is a siren — it calls so beautifully that you forget to ask where it's taking you.
Synonyms
temptation, lure, enchantress, seduction, allure
Antonyms
warning, repellent, deterrent
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Guardian at the maze
An adult stands before a tall, stone-walled maze with an imposing, dark guardian figure waiting at the center of the entrance.
The guardian is a siren-like figure—an irresistibly alluring yet dangerous force that pulls the wanderer toward a difficult trial. The maze represents the trap that lies beyond, testing whether one can safely navigate the allure of the path.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration