as in passionate
having a strong sexual desire
a moralist who decried what she regarded as the licentious and corrupt culture of the entertainment industry
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Recent Examples of licentious
Indeed, Black women have historically been viewed by whites as unclean and licentious and therefore undeserving of protection.
—
Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2025
His strained, sandpaper-coarse timbre served as an ideal conduit for songs concerned with boisterous revelries, shady agreements, licentious intentions and musical pleasures.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 25 May 2025
Whereas The Swimming-Pool Library transpires over one London summer — the last licentious gasp before AIDS— and The Line of Beauty spans the Thatcher era, Hollinghurst has lately been expanding his temporal horizons.
—Sam Worley, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2024
Woodhull’s inability to counter the caricature of her as evil and licentious doomed her campaign.
—Allison Lange / Made By History, TIME, 6 Aug. 2024
With his passing Thursday morning at the age of 65, Variety looks at the most memorable moments of Shane MacGowan’s licentious legacy.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023
Freedom’s licentious behavior shocks many of her fellow villagers, who conclude that her bottle must have contained some powerful intoxicant.
—Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2023
Ahmed is referring to the era in Tangier's history, beginning in the interwar period and peaking in the 1950s, when the city served as a licentious playground for a motley assortment of artists, socialites, and hedonists.
—Stephanie Rafanelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2023
Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2025
His strained, sandpaper-coarse timbre served as an ideal conduit for songs concerned with boisterous revelries, shady agreements, licentious intentions and musical pleasures.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 25 May 2025
Whereas The Swimming-Pool Library transpires over one London summer — the last licentious gasp before AIDS— and The Line of Beauty spans the Thatcher era, Hollinghurst has lately been expanding his temporal horizons.
—Sam Worley, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2024
Woodhull’s inability to counter the caricature of her as evil and licentious doomed her campaign.
—Allison Lange / Made By History, TIME, 6 Aug. 2024
With his passing Thursday morning at the age of 65, Variety looks at the most memorable moments of Shane MacGowan’s licentious legacy.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023
Freedom’s licentious behavior shocks many of her fellow villagers, who conclude that her bottle must have contained some powerful intoxicant.
—Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2023
Ahmed is referring to the era in Tangier's history, beginning in the interwar period and peaking in the 1950s, when the city served as a licentious playground for a motley assortment of artists, socialites, and hedonists.
—Stephanie Rafanelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for licentious
Adjective
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As his star has risen, the performer born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio has become the most passionate and effective ambassador in Puerto Rican history.—
Leila Cobo,
Billboard,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Stay open to rapid communication, travel opportunities, or passionate connections.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Add onion, garlic, ginger, celery to hot oil and cook for 2 minutes; do not allow to brown.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
-
After the slow, quiet, hot month of August, when many Parisians leave the city and go on holiday, the arrival of fall fills the city with life again as temperatures cool and everyone gets back to their routine.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Among those arrested was Walther Ramiro Hernandez-Ortiz, an 18-year-old from Honduras, who faces charges including lewd and lascivious behavior, battery, and molestation of a victim under 12 years old, according to ICE.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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The Los Angeles Times reported in 1992 that Brimmer was charged with three counts of lewd and lascivious behavior with minor boys between the ages of 9 and 15 while serving as a pastor at the Jubilee Christian Center.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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There is nothing quite so sluttish, apparently, as a lustful pistil.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
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He’s got a strong, if not particularly nuanced, voice that served him well over the lustful screams from the audience, which was heavy on young women and families.—
Ross Raihala,
Twin Cities,
23 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Licentious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/licentious. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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