as in warm
formal + usually disapproving
having or showing too much interest in sex
He took a prurient interest in their personal life. a book that appealed to the prurient curiosity of its readers
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Recent Examples of prurient
Once printed, less prurient versions of these portraits would be displayed below the marquee at the Teatro Maipo, like religious icons in a vending machine, on the street-level exterior of the venue.
—
Bryan Barcena, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Enter the more prurient, more indulgent, 77-minute Ænima.
—Jeremy D. Larson, Pitchfork, 25 Jan. 2026
In response, Baxter and many other trans artists prefer to play with such perceptions, frustrating the gaze of prurient onlookers.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
The desire to know the answer to those questions is not a matter of prurient nosiness.
—Mick Lasalle, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for prurient
Bryan Barcena, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Enter the more prurient, more indulgent, 77-minute Ænima.
—Jeremy D. Larson, Pitchfork, 25 Jan. 2026
In response, Baxter and many other trans artists prefer to play with such perceptions, frustrating the gaze of prurient onlookers.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
The desire to know the answer to those questions is not a matter of prurient nosiness.
—Mick Lasalle, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for prurient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prurient
Adjective
-
All rooms, including mine on the sixth floor (639), were updated in 2017 by American designer Ed Tuttle in a warm neutral and gold palette.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
-
The 26-inch inseam keeps things cropped and cool, which is perfect for warmer spring destinations, and its natural fibers keep you comfortable in the heat.—
Robin Raven,
Travel + Leisure,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Which was a fun mid-century technique to render a pic unpublishable.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
22 Aug. 2025
-
But much of what’s popping up on Substack is appealingly specific, the kind of stuff that’s unpublishable elsewhere.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
The dinner menu spotlights the local bounty and skews Mediterranean with standouts such as the laffa (a chewier pita) with baba ganoush or a spicy carrot harissa dip and lamb sliders with mango jam and shallot pickle.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
Draped over crisp salmon like in this rice bowl (mole instead of spicy mayo; radishes instead of cucs); this is a form of recipe development, sewing together patches into a colorful quilt.—
Emma Laperruque,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
It was seized by the post office (as Rosset had expected) and duly declared obscene by the postmaster of the city of New York, a man named Robert Christenberry.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
Who says a man can’t appreciate the gleaming, obscene form of an Aston Martin supercar or the growl of its overpriced engine?—
Alex James Kane,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Basil Billings, 62, of Margate, was booked into the Broward Main Jail on one count of offense against a student by an authority figure and one count of lewd or lascivious touching of a minor between 16 and 17 years old, jail records show.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
There is plenty of pornographic decoration in contemporary popular culture, but very little of it is consequential.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
Authorities alleged that their tactics included intimidating the women, placing them under constant surveillance and forcing them to perform pornographic acts that were then shared on social media.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Étienne, however, never forgets his first tussle in the woods with Bartosz (Julian Swiezewski), a Polish trucker who saves his lover’s skin when the cops show up to arrest them and other men for indecent behavior.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
-
The post garnered nearly 200 comments, mostly calling the meme vulgar and indecent.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
And what made the clip even more jarring to the average eye is that Sweeney was in a suggestive pose at the time.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
-
Which seems a suggestive concept.—
Nick Newman,
IndieWire,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prurient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prurient. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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