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
While Black writers and artists looked to Harlem as a source of optimism and inspiration, whites saw Harlem and other centers of urban Black life as alluring quarters for their more licentious desires.
—
Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
She’s preoccupied though, training a gun on the facility’s head officer, Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn), whose RFK Jr. rasp and licentious focus on Perfidia sets him up as a comedic draw and a convincing picture of America’s sanctioned white violence.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 24 Nov. 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
The mansion has been renovated before, and previous mayor Dave Bing, when newly elected, was transparent about the amount used on upgrades, ending the shroud of licentious rumors regarding the mansion since 2010.
—Leah Olajide, Freep.com, 22 May 2025
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
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, 25 Mar. 2026
She’s preoccupied though, training a gun on the facility’s head officer, Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn), whose RFK Jr. rasp and licentious focus on Perfidia sets him up as a comedic draw and a convincing picture of America’s sanctioned white violence.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 24 Nov. 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
The mansion has been renovated before, and previous mayor Dave Bing, when newly elected, was transparent about the amount used on upgrades, ending the shroud of licentious rumors regarding the mansion since 2010.
—Leah Olajide, Freep.com, 22 May 2025
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
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
-
Malinin, at the post-skate press conference following his world title victory, made his thoughts known in a passionate plea to the ISU (International Skating Union).—
Tyler Erzberger,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Fans are going to be passionate.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The play, like the movie, is loosely based on a robbery that took place in 1972, on a boiling-hot August day, when an eccentric, deep-in-debt Vietnam veteran named John Wojtowicz entered a Chase bank in Brooklyn with a gun and two accomplices, hoping for a quick score.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Rather than offering just the standard facials and massages (which are also on the menu), the spa has red and blue light therapy and a treatment where guests can alternate between a hot sauna and a cold plunge.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Both were charged with multiple counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition, indecent exposure, and resisting arrest.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Larry Leroy Candies was arrested on suspicion of eight counts of committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child younger than 14 years old, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday afternoon in a news release.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This Valentine’s Day, why not treat yourself to a perfume that beckons lustful strangers in a way not seen since Monica Bellucci at that Sicilian piazza in Malèna.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The two admit to having always loved each other (that's not a spoiler; the book is nearly 200 years old) and begin a steamy, lustful affair.—
Amanda Luberto,
AZCentral.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Licentious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/licentious. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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