libido
noun
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The Latin word libido, meaning "desire, lust", was borrowed by Sigmund Freud as the name for a concept in his own theories. At first he defined libido to mean the instinctual energy associated with the sex drive. Later he broadened the word's meaning and began using it to mean the mental energy behind purposeful human activity of any kind; in other words, the libido (for which Freud also used the term eros, a Greek word meaning "sexual love") came to be regarded as the life instinct, which included sex along with all the other impulses we rely on to keep us alive. But those of us who aren't psychologists use the word simply as a synonym for "sex drive".
Examples of libido in a Sentence
Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN Money, 8 July 2025
Sherri Parlay, a good woman with a high libido, is seduced into murder by the beguiling heir to a dry-cleaning fortune.
—Sara Gran, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Kumar says to avoid consuming less than 1,200 calories a day as this can lead to hormonal imbalances that negatively impact libido.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 2 Jan. 2025
Your libido, however, is always the first to take a hit.
—Kameelah Phillips, Flow Space, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for libido
Cite this Entry
“Libido.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/libido. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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