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

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

The business of music long has been an incestuous one, even when the players aren’t related. —Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2025

Udo Kier Dracula and incestuous Italian lesbians amounts to one of the gayest vampire movies of all time, which is really something to say about the gayest of all the great monster archetypes. —Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2025

Reactions to the incestuous moment have taken over social media and filming the scene was awkward for those involved as well. —Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025

There used to be a kind of inbred, incestuous quality to Hollywood that was actually good. —Maer Roshan, HollywoodReporter, 21 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1532, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for incestuous

• tempestuous

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