erotic

adjective

erot·​ic i-ˈrä-tik How to pronounce erotic (audio)
variants or less commonly erotical
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 adverb

Examples of erotic in a Sentence

the erotic aspects of the story of Beauty and the Beast
Recent Examples on the Web Harking back to those erotic thrillers of yore, especially from the 1980s and 90s, writer-director Joy Wilkinson’s 7 Keys, her debut feature, starts out full of promise and potential — much like the impromptu hook-up that gets the plot rolling. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 Rogers noted there is evidence Alexander had more erotic relationships with women. Conor Murray, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Twinning here is akin to that of a Russian doll’s, a suspenseful thriller acting as a framing device for an erotic film, which in turn opens up a dreamscape free of consequence and inhibition, a dark room of the mind. Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2024 Rebel Moon shares the pop-culture wit of David Lynch’s 1984 Dune adaptation, but instead of surrealism, Snyder brought kinetic, erotic excitement that elevated the sci-fi genre. Armond White, National Review, 1 Mar. 2024 Twenty-one-year-old Damian Hurley is making his directorial debut with the erotic thriller Strictly Confidential, and his mother, Elizabeth Hurley, 58, plays a key role in the project. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 The fact that the lovers conform to a type, in their sighing and gasping, seems to buoy up, not to pop, the erotic mood. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 Kelly Rowland is glad her erotic thriller Mea Culpa is leaving a mark on viewers. Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 26 Feb. 2024 The audience gets a hint that this will not be a straightforward erotic thriller in a scene in which the husband’s indiscretions are revealed. Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'erotic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Greek erōtikos, from erōt-, erōs

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of erotic was in 1651

Dictionary Entries Near erotic

Cite this Entry

“Erotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/erotic. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

erotic

adjective
erot·​ic i-ˈrät-ik How to pronounce erotic (audio)
: of, relating to, or marked by sexual love or desire
erotically adverb
eroticism
-ˈrät-ə-ˌsiz-əm
noun

Medical Definition

erotic

adjective
erot·​ic i-ˈrät-ik How to pronounce erotic (audio)
variants also erotical
1
: of, devoted to, or tending to arouse sexual love or desire
2
: strongly marked or affected by sexual desire
erotically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on erotic

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