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

Funston, 64, was arraigned during Monday morning’s brief hearing on a felony charge of committing lewd or lascivious acts on a child younger than 14 years old. —Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 9 Mar. 2026

Johnson was convicted last month of two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child and one count of electronically transmitting material harmful to a minor, according to prosecutors in Hernando County, Florida. —ABC News, 5 Mar. 2026

Salinas was convicted in June 2007 of lewd or lascivious acts on a minor, according to the criminal complaint. —City News Service, Oc Register, 28 Feb. 2026

In any other movie, Anna would be the main event, and Keough rises to the challenge with the most lascivious performance since Selma Blair as N-cup stripper Ursula Udders in John Waters’ A Dirty Shame. —Damon Wise, Deadline, 14 Feb. 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