voyeuristic

adjective

voy·​eur·​is·​tic ˌvwä-(ˌ)yər-ˈi-stik  ˌvȯi-ər- 

: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a voyeur

voyeuristic drives

… confronting her beauty gave him a bad conscience and made him feel shamefully voyeuristic …

—Phillip Roth

: relating to or derived from voyeurism

voyeuristic pleasure

Through the video surveillance system, Polly engages in voyeuristic eavesdropping.

—Judith Mayne

… to demonstrate that the voyeuristic thrill of watching a stripper ceases at the moment of nakedness.

—Mark Morris

voyeuristically

ˌvwä-(ˌ)yər-ˈi-sti-k(ə-)lē 

ˌvȯi-ər-

adverb

In that film, the cameras voyeuristically followed actor Richard Gere as he worked out and dressed up.

—The Wall Street Journal

Examples of voyeuristic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The show seems to put the viewer in the same suspicious, voyeuristic position as Sara while still highlighting Emily’s pain. —Grace Byron, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025

Somehow both spare and ornate, immersive and voyeuristic, The Silver Book has a pull that can’t be denied. —Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025

Martel jettisons multiple drones into the sky overlooking the Chuschagasta native landscape in northern Argentina, acquiring the effect first of zoomed-in satellite footage, then of something more voyeuristic and frightening, adopting the viewpoint of colonialism itself. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025

Reliving your teens from the safety of adulthood is the perfect voyeuristic formula. —Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for voyeuristic

• agonistic
• altruistic
• animistic
• aphoristic
• atheistic
• cabalistic
• calvinistic
• chauvinistic
• dualistic
• egoistic
• egotistic
• eucharistic

Medical Definition

voyeuristic

adjective

voy·​eur·​is·​tic ˌvwä-(ˌ)yər-ˈis-tik  ˌvȯi-ər- 

: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a voyeur

voyeuristic drives

voyeuristically

-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb