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

• bawdy
• blue
• coarse
• crude
• dirty
• filthy
• foul
• gross
• gutter
• impure
• indecent
• lewd
• locker-room
• nasty
• obscene
• pornographic
• porny
• profane
• raunchy
• ribald
• smutty
• stag
• trashy
• unprintable
• vulgar
• wanton
• X-rated

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

Nathaniel Ray Diaz, of Greenfield, was convicted in September 2023 of committing lewd and lascivious acts against a minor under 14 and criminal threats after he was accused of harming the girl, who was 12 at the time, court documents say. —Julia Marnin, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2025

Eden was put on administrative leave and charged with felony lewd offense against a student by an authority figure, felony lewd and lascivious touching of a minor, and misdemeanor voyeurism, the sheriff’s office said. —Mark Price, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025

Espinoza was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts against a child victim. —Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 5 Apr. 2025

On Friday, he was arrested and questioned by detectives on two counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a child. —Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 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