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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Alongside contemporaries including Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Maxwell, the neo-soul class focused on recapturing the live, thick instrumentation, rich songwriting and weighted, passionate delivery of its nominal genre predecessor.—
Trevor Anderson,
Billboard,
22 Oct. 2025
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For viewers in the US interested in Canadian sports, CTV provides a window into some of the country’s most passionate sporting traditions alongside major American league coverage.—
Jenzia Burgos,
StyleCaster,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In January 2018, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and Keurig Green Mountain announced a merger, providing investors unique exposure to the fastest growing hot and cold beverage markets and their respective retail channels.—
Kenneth Squire,
CNBC,
18 Oct. 2025
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It’s served hot, and the proper way to eat it is to squeeze some lemon juice, sprinkle it with spices like sumac and Aleppo pepper, and pile on a handful of parsley.—
Katie Nadworny,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Timothy Scott Jaekel, 52, was arrested on seven counts of committing lewd or lascivious acts with a child younger than 14 years old.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
17 Oct. 2025
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The Herald and other outlets wrote extensively about Doherty’s allegations until he was sentenced to 15 years behind bars in 2013 after pleading no contest to six counts of lewd and lascivious acts upon a child.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
King Princess talks the lustful, haunted anthems of 'Girl Violence' King Princess has had a remarkable 2025 thus far.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
30 Sep. 2025
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There is nothing quite so sluttish, apparently, as a lustful pistil.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Licentious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/licentious. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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