incestuous

adjective

in·​ces·​tu·​ous in-ˈses-chə-wəs How to pronounce incestuous (audio)
-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
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 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

Time Traveler
The first known use of incestuous was in 1532

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.

Kids Definition

incestuous

adjective
in·​ces·​tu·​ous in-ˈses-chə-wəs How to pronounce incestuous (audio)
1
: being or involving incest
2
: guilty of incest
incestuously adverb

Medical Definition

incestuous

adjective
in·​ces·​tu·​ous in-ˈses(h)-chə-wəs How to pronounce incestuous (audio)
1
: constituting or involving incest
2
: of, relating to, or guilty of incest
infantile incestuous wishes of the Oedipus complex

More from Merriam-Webster on incestuous

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