voluptuous

adjective

vo·​lup·​tu·​ous və-ˈləp(t)-shə-wəs 

-shəs

1

a

: suggesting sensual pleasure by fullness and beauty of form

voluptuous nudes

b

: full of delight or pleasure to the senses : conducive to or arising from sensuous or sensual gratification : luxurious

a voluptuous dance

voluptuous ornamentation

a voluptuous wine

2

: given to or spent in enjoyment of luxury, pleasure, or sensual gratifications

a long and voluptuous holiday

—Edmund Wilson

voluptuously adverb

voluptuousness noun

Synonyms

• sensual

Choose the Right Synonym for voluptuous

sensuous, sensual, luxurious, voluptuous mean relating to or providing pleasure through gratification of the senses.

sensuous implies gratification of the senses for the sake of aesthetic pleasure.

the sensuous delights of great music

sensual tends to imply the gratification of the senses or the indulgence of the physical appetites as ends in themselves.

a life devoted to sensual pleasures

luxurious suggests the indulgence of sensuous pleasure inducing bodily ease and languor.

a luxurious hotel

voluptuous implies more strongly an abandonment especially to sensual pleasure.

a voluptuous feast

Examples of voluptuous in a Sentence

the voluptuous richness of the music

Recent Examples on the Web

Subsequent excavations at the site have unearthed voluptuous female figurines, prompting researchers to speculate that Catalhoyuk’s Neolithic inhabitants worshipped a fertility deity known as the Mother Goddess. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 July 2025

Due to her voluptuous figure and her rising status as a publicity magnet, Twentieth Century Fox signed Mansfield to a contract with the hopes of turning her into the next Marilyn Monroe. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 28 June 2025

It is named for a plastic-surgery technique called the Rubens flap, used in breast reconstruction; the term is a reference to the voluptuous figures in Rubens’s work. —Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 9 June 2025

The Vegas Strip lives up to its name in the vivid and voluptuous fever dream of neon, nails, and Nomi. —Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 3 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin voluptuosus, irregular from voluptas pleasure, from volup pleasurable; akin to Greek elpesthai to hope, Latin velle to wish — more at will

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

voluptuous

adjective

vo·​lup·​tuous

və-ˈləp-chə(-wə)s

: giving pleasure to the senses

voluptuously adverb

voluptuousness noun