pornography

noun por·nog·ra·phy \ pȯr-ˈnä-grə-fē \

Definition of pornography

1 : the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement

2 : material (such as books or a photograph) that depicts erotic behavior and is intended to cause sexual excitement

3 : the depiction of acts in a sensational manner so as to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction

the pornography of violence

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pornographic

play \ˌpȯr-nə-ˈgra-fik\ adjective

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pornographically

play \ˌpȯr-nə-ˈgra-fi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See pornography defined for English-language learners

See pornography defined for kids

Examples of pornography in a Sentence

If you ask me, his movies are just high-class pornography.

Recent Examples of pornography from the Web

As Simon explained the series to Variety last year: It's roughly based on the story of the actual people who were there, some of the people that were the pioneers when pornography came out of the brown paper bag and became an open industry.

— matt miller, Esquire, "Here's Your First Look at James Franco in David Simon's New HBO Porn Drama," 31 May 2017
No sense in pretending this isn’t an issue; few things generate as much traffic online as pornography.

— gary robbins, sandiegouniontribune.com, "You surf internet porn. Fine. But do you know how to avoid the hackers?," 8 May 2017
A new challenge looms for Apple Inc. in China after internet regulators warned three video-app companies to do a better job of screening out pornography—an eye-popping task, as is evident here in the offices of the popular Huajiao streaming service.

— eva dou, WSJ, "Porn in Video Streams? China Presses Apple to Monitor Content," 20 Apr. 2017
The lengthy list includes alcohol, tobacco, pork products and media or entertainment considered immoral, such as pornography.

— tom verde, New York Times, "Retirement Savings, the Muslim Way," 30 June 2017
He was arrested following execution of the warrant and charged with one count of possession of child pornography.

— staff report, The Aegis, "Harford man charged with possession of child pornography," 27 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pornography.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

What is pornography?

For many people, any attempt to define the word pornography calls to mind the oft-quoted line from Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart in 1964: “. . . I know it when I see it.” While compilers of dictionaries might wish to be granted such latitude in explaining the meaning of certain words, they are held to a higher standard. Pornography, which has been used in English since the middle of the 19th century, comes from the Greek pornographos (“writing about prostitutes”), and initially referred to visual or written matter designed to cause sexual arousal, a meaning that is still the most common one employed today. Pornography has taken on an additional, non-sexualized, sense: one that refers to a depiction of sensational material (such as violence) in order to elicit a reaction. The phrase “pornography of violence,” for example, began to be used in the early 1950s.

Origin and Etymology of pornography

Greek pornographos, adjective, writing about prostitutes, from pornē prostitute + graphein to write; akin to Greek pernanai to sell, poros journey — more at fare, carve

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1842

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

PORNOGRAPHY Defined for English Language Learners

pornography

noun

Definition of pornography for English Language Learners

: movies, pictures, magazines, etc., that show or describe naked people or sex in a very open and direct way in order to cause sexual excitement

Law Dictionary

pornography

noun por·nog·ra·phy \ pȯr-ˈnä-grə-fē \

legal Definition of pornography

: material that depicts erotic behavior and is intended to cause sexual excitement

Note: Pornographic material is protected expression unless it is determined to be obscene. However, child pornography is illegal under federal and state laws prohibiting the depiction of minors in sexual acts.

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