lascivious

adjective

las·​civ·​i·​ous lə-ˈsi-vē-əs 

: filled with or showing sexual desire : lewd, lustful

lascivious acts/thoughts

arrested for lewd and lascivious assault

… crude and lascivious remarks …

—John Nichols

He is every woman's worst nightmare: the lascivious shark in a gold chain, loud sport shirt and polyester suit …

—Susan Schindehette et al.

lasciviously adverb

His show always began with Benny in a public park leering lasciviously at a bevy of young beauties …

—Gyles Brandreth

lasciviousness noun

… he satirized the contrived unions favored by upper society, exposing the greed, corruption, and lasciviousness with which they were permeated.

—Harvey Rachlin

Synonyms of lascivious

• pornographic
• obscene
• vulgar
• nasty
• foul
• filthy
• dirty
• suggestive

Examples of lascivious in a Sentence

He was arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior.

was criticized for making lascivious remarks that offended many in the group

Recent Examples on the Web

Detectives with the sheriff’s Child Abuse Bureau led the investigation and obtained an arrest warrant for Rutherford on one count of oral copulation on a victim 10 years old or younger and three counts of committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child younger than 14. —Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 19 Dec. 2025

She is charged with two counts of indecent, lewd or lascivious touching of certain minors, and violation of parole, according to the report. —Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 13 Dec. 2025

The teen reported the incident shortly after the trip, leading to the driver – identified as 39-year-old Jose Miguel Perez-Molina – being charged with lewd and lascivious conduct, police said. —Doug Myers, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025

His stepfather pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious behavior with a minor. —Dan Pompei, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin lasciviosus, from Latin lascivia wantonness, from lascivus wanton — more at lust entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lascivious

• oblivious

Kids Definition

lascivious

adjective

las·​civ·​i·​ous lə-ˈsiv-ē-əs 

: lewd sense 1, lustful

lasciviously adverb

lasciviousness noun

Legal Definition

lascivious

adjective

las·​civ·​i·​ous lə-ˈsi-vē-əs 

: reflecting or producing sexual desire or behavior especially that is considered indecent or obscene

lewd and lascivious behavior