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 upcoming film projects include the MRC erotic thriller Mother’s Helper (with Shailene Woodley), indie comedy Close to Nowhere (with SNL‘s Veronika Slowikowska) and Netflix’s Better Than the Movies. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026

Caland turned relentless mark-making, erotic bodies and embroidered garments into a boundary-blurring philosophy where art, home and life fully merge. — Tara Anne Dalbow, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

The atmosphere is humid—not just sensual but erotic—and Stein is often close enough to touch. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026

Minotaur is adapted from Claude Chabrol’s 1969 film The Unfaithful Wife, itself previously the source material for Adrian Lyne’s erotic thriller Unfaithful. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 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