as in suggestive
hinting at or intended to call to mind matters regarded as indecent
the bridal shower was filled with risqué banter and laughter
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Recent Examples of risqué
Rebellion was also apparent in the hairstyles exhibited, most notably by singer Miley Cyrus, a fashion fanatic, whose short, spiked look paired perfectly with her risque fishnet Marc Jacobs gown.
—
Luis Giraldo, CBS News, 4 May 2026
There were clubs that were kind of quite risque in the ‘60s and ‘70s, particularly in London, and there’s stories to be told.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026
Jennifer Lawrence's ethereal red carpet look (and bangs) Jennifer Lawrence bucked the traditional tone of the carpet with a risque floral number from Givenchy.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 11 Jan. 2026
And before long, the showgirls and their risque routines began to seem outdated, compared to the gravity-defining, high-tech, and appropriate-for-all-ages stunts of a neo-circus.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2025
After The Wall Street Journal report described a risque drawing that Trump was said to have sent to Epstein decades ago, Trump sued the paper, its owner and reporters.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
Jennifer Garner joked in the comments Gwyneth Paltrow is sharing a new recipe for one of her favorite breakfasts — and opting for a risque look in the process.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 15 June 2025
Senior leaders at the social media behemoth were reportedly aware of the chatbots’ tendencies to foray into risque and explicit discussions and multiple staffers flagged their concerns internally.
—Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Luis Giraldo, CBS News, 4 May 2026
There were clubs that were kind of quite risque in the ‘60s and ‘70s, particularly in London, and there’s stories to be told.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026
Jennifer Lawrence's ethereal red carpet look (and bangs) Jennifer Lawrence bucked the traditional tone of the carpet with a risque floral number from Givenchy.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 11 Jan. 2026
And before long, the showgirls and their risque routines began to seem outdated, compared to the gravity-defining, high-tech, and appropriate-for-all-ages stunts of a neo-circus.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2025
After The Wall Street Journal report described a risque drawing that Trump was said to have sent to Epstein decades ago, Trump sued the paper, its owner and reporters.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
Jennifer Garner joked in the comments Gwyneth Paltrow is sharing a new recipe for one of her favorite breakfasts — and opting for a risque look in the process.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 15 June 2025
Senior leaders at the social media behemoth were reportedly aware of the chatbots’ tendencies to foray into risque and explicit discussions and multiple staffers flagged their concerns internally.
—Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for risqué
Adjective
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But, in historic gold-rush regions, prospectors use it to identify disturbances in the landscape that are suggestive of former mining operations, in the hope of finding overlooked stores.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
For another example of the interpretive and suggestive quality of verbs, let’s look at Patricia Highsmith’s The Two Faces of January.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Grilled spam, traditionally served on rice cakes, is settled onto crispy hash browns, wrapped with nori and served with a side of spicy sriracha mayo.—
Carolyn Komatsoulis,
Idaho Statesman,
11 May 2026
-
Or there’s the adobo pork, which is this tangy, spicy pork stew.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Risqué.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/risqu%C3%A9. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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