incestuous
adjective
in·ces·tu·ous
in-ˈses-chə-wəs 
-ˈsesh-
1
: constituting or involving incest
2
: guilty of incest
3
: excessively or improperly intimate or exclusive
"… mainstream fashion magazines have an incestuous relationship with advertisers, and that undermines integrity."—
Ike Ude
Ike Ude
incestuously
adverb
incestuousness
noun
Examples of incestuous in a Sentence
There were rumors that the father and daughter had had an incestuous relationship.
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s the problem with working in a county that’s so incestuous and inbred.
—Adam Ferrise, cleveland, 21 May 2023
And even after all that, a diabolical twist revealing an incestuous romantic affair is perhaps the film’s most gut-wrenching provocation.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2023
The two are playing the same tune but in different keys: Lister-Jones draws out the character’s incestuous overtones, while LuPone hits heavy notes of shame.
—Vulture, 13 June 2023
The books focused on two siblings, a math prodigy and her salvage-diver brother, with an incestuous attachment and a father who helped develop the atomic bomb.
—Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 13 June 2023
Other jarring elements include a single scene given over to Asia Argento as a widowed man with incestuous thoughts whom Pio literally tells to STFU.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 2 June 2023
After a lackluster few seasons, where some of the biggest stars were fired amid controversies and a claustrophobically filmed COVID season, this incestuous drama in Season 10 was a return to what fans originally loved about this show: its unrestrained chaos.
—Louis Staples, Variety, 24 May 2023
This incestuous line of succession is a fascinating concept that the show unwraps meticulously, helped in large part by nuanced performances from Cassian Bilton as a wary Dawn, Lee Pace as the bombastic Day, and Terrence Mann as old guard Dusk.
—Caroline Framke, Variety, 23 Sep. 2021
Once it was brought up, though, it was perpetuated through incestuous sourcing — news articles riffing off news articles that riffed off of ABC's article about antivenom.
—Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2015
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Adam Ferrise, cleveland, 21 May 2023
And even after all that, a diabolical twist revealing an incestuous romantic affair is perhaps the film’s most gut-wrenching provocation.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2023
The two are playing the same tune but in different keys: Lister-Jones draws out the character’s incestuous overtones, while LuPone hits heavy notes of shame.
—Vulture, 13 June 2023
The books focused on two siblings, a math prodigy and her salvage-diver brother, with an incestuous attachment and a father who helped develop the atomic bomb.
—Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 13 June 2023
Other jarring elements include a single scene given over to Asia Argento as a widowed man with incestuous thoughts whom Pio literally tells to STFU.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 2 June 2023
After a lackluster few seasons, where some of the biggest stars were fired amid controversies and a claustrophobically filmed COVID season, this incestuous drama in Season 10 was a return to what fans originally loved about this show: its unrestrained chaos.
—Louis Staples, Variety, 24 May 2023
This incestuous line of succession is a fascinating concept that the show unwraps meticulously, helped in large part by nuanced performances from Cassian Bilton as a wary Dawn, Lee Pace as the bombastic Day, and Terrence Mann as old guard Dusk.
—Caroline Framke, Variety, 23 Sep. 2021
Once it was brought up, though, it was perpetuated through incestuous sourcing — news articles riffing off news articles that riffed off of ABC's article about antivenom.
—Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2015
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incestuous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1532, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near incestuous
Cite this Entry
“Incestuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incestuous. Accessed 27 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
incestuous
adjective
in·ces·tu·ous
in-ˈses-chə-wəs
1
: being or involving incest
2
: guilty of incest
incestuously
adverb
Medical Definition
incestuous
adjective
in·ces·tu·ous
in-ˈses(h)-chə-wəs
1
: constituting or involving incest
2
: of, relating to, or guilty of incest
infantile incestuous wishes of the Oedipus complex
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