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

The 1962 film version featured a more innocent family with a daughter who’s presexual and thus a naïve object of lust for Robert Mitchum’s casually lascivious Cady. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 17 July 2026

On Wednesday, Nakashima remained in jail at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $45,000 bond on three counts of lewd and lascivious battery by an authority figure. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026

On Thursday, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office charged Ramon with lewd and lascivious acts on a minor, police said. — Jason Green, Mercury News, 10 July 2026

Some artists have eras, experimental phases, detours, creative dalliances; Arthur Russell’s career, for all its seeming contradictions—classical minimalism and lascivious disco, Zen Buddhist mantras and winsome country pop—was a continuum. — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 27 June 2026

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