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

Raymond Horsch, who once lived in the house and died last year, was an erotic filmmaker whose work depicted violent themes, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. — Danny Freeman, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026

The two dancers’ cartwheeling lifts—feet in the air, head toward the ground—are more athletic than erotic, creating pretty lines but lacking in urgency. — Hannah Aizenman, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026

Perhaps that is the more useful way to think about fashion’s erotic turn. — Amy Francombe, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026

In a multi-studio bidding war, Sheldon sold her next project, an original erotic thriller, to Netflix with Media Res. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026

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
• demotic
• despotic
• dichotic
• euphotic
• exotic
• fibrotic
• hieratic

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