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

His Ian is a man who loves life — the life of a British celebrity, an erotic adventurer, and an actor who’s gifted and ambitious enough to think of himself as an artist. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

No other designer has synthesized erotic tension with such aplomb since Ford himself. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 2 Sep. 2026

Other projects on her slate include the Amazon series Criminal, Sarah-Violet Bliss’ erotic thriller Scorn and James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026

Far and Away, as well as in director Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 erotic thriller Eyes Wide Shut. — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 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