lascivious

adjective

lə-ˈsi-vē-əs How to pronounce lascivious (audio)
Definition of lasciviousnext
1
as in pornographic
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society was criticized for making lascivious remarks that offended many in the group

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in passionate
having a strong sexual desire an exposé about the lascivious playboy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lascivious California records show he was convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14 in 2014 and released from prison in 2018. — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 3 June 2026 On Thursday, Billings was charged with an offense against a student by an authority figure and lewd and lascivious touching of certain minors. — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 29 May 2026 Indeed, Salome’s lascivious dance of the seven veils was once more shocking for audiences than her execution. — Literary Hub, 20 May 2026 Detectives began their investigation on Tuesday afternoon after receiving a report of lewd and lascivious acts with a child, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 7 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for lascivious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lascivious
  1. pornographic
  2. passionate
  3. obscene
  4. hot
  5. vulgar
  6. lustful
  7. nasty
  8. libidinous
Adjective
  • Gibson asked for pornographic images of the minor, and sent photos of himself, according to court documents.
    — Kendrick Calfee June 13, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026
  • While Washington drags its feet, kids across the nation are being exposed to vile, pornographic images and ads with no meaningful safeguards to prevent it.
    — Rachel del Guidice, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
Definition of pornographic
Adjective
  • Despite the full lineup and passionate patriotic crowd in Seattle, Team USA looked uncomfortable from the start, fell behind early, made sloppy mistakes and could not keep up with the Belgians, who move on to face Spain in the quarterfinals.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026
  • Mexico’s passionate fans blasted horns outside the England hotel to disrupt players’ sleep, and the start of the match was delayed an hour because of a thunderstorm.
    — Carlos Rodriguez, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2026
Definition of passionate
Adjective
  • Jackson then allegedly drove over into another lane and swerved at the victim, while using an obscene hand gesture.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026
  • The obscene pay of CEOs, growing 20 times as fast as workers’ pay last year, and the obscene wealth in the tech world, with money cascading into the hands of greedy billionaires who lack empathy or even noblesse oblige.
    — Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 4 July 2026
Definition of obscene
Adjective
  • At Saint Laurent during Paris men’s, Connor Storrie rocked up in knee-high latex sock boots (on a scorching hot day, no less).
    — Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 10 July 2026
  • Be vigilant about never leaving young children and pets in vehicles without supervision, especially during periods of intense heat, as car interiors can quickly become extremely hot.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 10 July 2026
Definition of hot
Adjective
  • Sean Goode, a former Canton police sergeant who was working the night of John O'Keefe's death and testified during the first Karen Read trial, allegedly sent dozens of vulgar text messages, according to an independent investigation.
    — Matt Schooley, CBS News, 29 June 2026
  • Others were removed early on for vulgar or inappropriate comments, according to a PGA Tour source with knowledge of the events, with five spectators in total ejected from the tournament with six holes to go.
    — Brody Miller, New York Times, 21 June 2026
Definition of vulgar
Adjective
  • In March, the Miami Herald also joined Welty and the Croc Docs on a trip deep in the interior of the northern Everglades to track down lustful male pythons.
    — Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
  • Zhengyi Bai’s lustful Monostatos, disguised in the production as a hammy vampire, almost steals the show a time or two.
    — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026
Definition of lustful
Adjective
  • The prettiest man in football landed a nasty elbow to Ireland’s Dara O’ Shea and was justifiably handed a red card.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 July 2026
  • One is the true story of a white, nasty gentleman who had more power than anybody in the United States for longer, and the other is a love story between two gay people at a time when that had to be way, way, way down low.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 7 July 2026
Definition of nasty
Adjective
  • The 10-minute score, with begins with a virtuosic timpani solo, is meant to evoke the libidinous atmosphere in Mexico City dance clubs in the 1980s.
    — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
  • The confrontations result in wild, libidinous killing.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Definition of libidinous

Browse Nearby Words

larvae
lascivious
lasciviously
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lascivious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lascivious. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on lascivious

Nglish: Translation of lascivious for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of xeric

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All