as in passionate
having a strong sexual desire
the salacious Greek god Pan is generally portrayed as having the legs, horns, and ears of a goat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of salacious
The list, collected from the FBI's National Threat Operations Center, included numerous salacious allegations.
—
Stephen Fowler, NPR, 24 Feb. 2026
The salacious charges, all leveled by men, made their way into a criminal case against Ebel, though none of the allegations could be substantiated in court.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
There has been a lot of sympathy for the sisters as Britons have watched each salacious detail emerge.
—Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN Money, 16 Feb. 2026
The free flow of information is the lifeblood of the world’s third largest financial center, after New York and London, and Apple Daily — for all its lurid crime stories and salacious gossip — was among a litany of outlets holding government officials to account.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for salacious
Stephen Fowler, NPR, 24 Feb. 2026
The salacious charges, all leveled by men, made their way into a criminal case against Ebel, though none of the allegations could be substantiated in court.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
There has been a lot of sympathy for the sisters as Britons have watched each salacious detail emerge.
—Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN Money, 16 Feb. 2026
The free flow of information is the lifeblood of the world’s third largest financial center, after New York and London, and Apple Daily — for all its lurid crime stories and salacious gossip — was among a litany of outlets holding government officials to account.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for salacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for salacious
Adjective
-
This is also an affectionate, passionate day that promotes hot romance.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
-
O’Neal is passionate about the concept, says Lee White, head of sports at WME Sports, which represents the basketball legend.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
On April 18, that reverence will look like music, laughter and a line of people waiting for something hot out of the fryer — a simple plate carrying stories from across the world, all landing in one place.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Barred from his high school basketball team due to his temper, a hot-head, street-baller battles demons from his past and present to earn a spot on a summer league team and his last shot at a college basketball scholarship.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The couple is back together in Arkansas after Joseph was released from custody on a $600,000 bond in Florida where he is charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Duggar was initially charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Salacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/salacious. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
