prurience

noun

pru·​ri·​ence ˈpru̇r-ē-ən(t)s How to pronounce prurience (audio)
: the quality or state of being prurient

Examples of prurience in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web These actors’ television fame adds a whisper of remembered prurience here, a flavor of kitsch there. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2023 But there is more than prurience or even provocation at work here. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023 But this isn’t all down to her own prurience. Soraya Roberts, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020 Ants Tammik’s camerawork is similarly inspired, especially in the framing of the women’s bodies which are displayed without prudery but also without prurience, and usually only partially — backs, breasts, bellies, chins propped on knees. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 19 Mar. 2023 Wilde’s writings may be homoerotic, but the prose remains coded and demure; prurience was reserved for the bedroom, and eventually for the courtroom. Colton Valentine, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2023 Its gutsy prurience often collapses down into muddled emptiness, fun gags that get wasted. K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 23 Dec. 2022 True crime can be given a gloss of prestige, can approach its subject from new and different angles, and can reach for bigger themes, but there’s a kernel of prurience to the genre that’s never going to go away. Vulture, 28 Oct. 2022 These days, fans spread rumors and memes, which are picked up by media outlets, which disguise their prurience with speculation about box-office prospects or reviews. Carina Chocano, New York Times, 23 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prurience.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1781, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of prurience was in 1781

Dictionary Entries Near prurience

Cite this Entry

“Prurience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prurience. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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