erotic

adjective

erot·​ic i-ˈrä-tik 

variants or less commonly erotical

i-ˈrä-ti-kəl 

1

: of, devoted to, or tending to arouse sexual love or desire

erotic art

2

: strongly marked or affected by sexual desire

erotic noun

erotically

i-ˈrä-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of erotic

• sexy

Examples of erotic in a Sentence

the erotic aspects of the story of Beauty and the Beast

Recent Examples on the Web

While romance is built into the Gothic nature of the tale, the erotic appeal of Frankenstein is not as obvious as that of Dracula, with his hypnotic stare and eternal devotion. —Katie Rife, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025

Though she was lambasted at the time, the erotic drama has enjoyed a critical reappraisal in recent years, with fans celebrating Berkley's kinetic turn. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Nov. 2025

Further titles on its slate include erotic thriller Blurred, starring Alex Pettyfer and Guy Pearce; YA adventure The Queen’s Jewels, starring Carson Rowland, Katherine McNamara and Michael Evans Behling; and Bulgarian horror Samodiva, featuring Jack Parr, Sophie Craig and Richard Brake. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2025

There are few writers today who can render the gruesome more erotic, or vice versa, than Felker-Martin. —Samantha Riedel, Them., 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Greek erōtikos, from erōt-, erōs

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing erotic

• anti-erotic

Rhymes for erotic

• aprotic
• aquatic
• biotic
• chaotic
• cirrhotic
• despotic
• dichotic
• euphotic
• exotic
• fibrotic
• hieratic
• hypnotic

Kids Definition

erotic

adjective

erot·​ic i-ˈrät-ik 

: of, relating to, or marked by sexual love or desire

erotically

-ˈrät-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

eroticism

-ˈrät-ə-ˌsiz-əm

noun

Medical Definition

erotic

adjective

erot·​ic i-ˈrät-ik 

variants also erotical

i-ˈrät-i-kəl 

1

: of, devoted to, or tending to arouse sexual love or desire

2

: strongly marked or affected by sexual desire

erotically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb