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

Minotaur, an adaptation of Claude Chabrol’s 1969 erotic thriller The Unfaithful Wife, co-written by Simon Lyashenko. —David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026

The pair ultimately becomes entwined in a complicated relationship in the erotic crime thriller. —Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026

In film, Lauren Miller Rogen’s Babies starring Anna Kendrick and Seth Rogen is in post, as is Ellie Foumbi’s erotic thriller Fleur starring Halle Berry. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 13 May 2026

Paired with two buzzy stars – real life couple Pullman and Gerber – this erotic thriller package should appeal to the Cannes market’s baser instincts. —Brent Lang, Variety, 12 May 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