as in prostitution
the practice of engaging in sexual activities for money
a city that in biblical times was infamous for licentiousness and harlotry
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Recent Examples of harlotry
In one case, the life of an upper-class woman and contemporary of Julius Caesar, Clodia, saw her reputation destroyed by false claims of harlotry, home-wrecking, and husband-killing.
—
Time, 24 Nov. 2025
Within the slippery world of harlotry—where class can be transcended and humanity bought—relationships form that defy our historical assumptions about the bounded categories of human experience.
—Sarah Marshall, New Republic, 2 June 2017
That's how my job eventually descended into harlotry: through the endless cat-and-mouse game of porntrepreneurs subverting Google's anti-smut policies.
—Lucas Peterson, GQ, 22 May 2017
Time, 24 Nov. 2025
Within the slippery world of harlotry—where class can be transcended and humanity bought—relationships form that defy our historical assumptions about the bounded categories of human experience.
—Sarah Marshall, New Republic, 2 June 2017
That's how my job eventually descended into harlotry: through the endless cat-and-mouse game of porntrepreneurs subverting Google's anti-smut policies.
—Lucas Peterson, GQ, 22 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harlotry
prostitution
Noun
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The department said the passenger, Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, played a role in a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring.—
Julia Ainsley,
NBC news,
9 Jan. 2026
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The French newspaper Le Parisien reported earlier this week that Jacques Moretti was known to authorities and served some time in jail about 20 years ago in the south of France on charges related to prostitution and kidnapping.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harlotry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harlotry. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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