Synonym Chooser

How is the word voluptuous distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of voluptuous are luxurious, sensual, and sensuous. While all these words mean "relating to or providing pleasure through gratification of the senses," voluptuous implies more strongly an abandonment especially to sensual pleasure.

a voluptuous feast

When is it sensible to use luxurious instead of voluptuous?

While the synonyms luxurious and voluptuous are close in meaning, luxurious suggests the indulgence of sensuous pleasure inducing bodily ease and languor.

a luxurious hotel

When can sensual be used instead of voluptuous?

The words sensual and voluptuous can be used in similar contexts, but sensual tends to imply the gratification of the senses or the indulgence of the physical appetites as ends in themselves.

a life devoted to sensual pleasures

When might sensuous be a better fit than voluptuous?

The synonyms sensuous and voluptuous are sometimes interchangeable, but sensuous implies gratification of the senses for the sake of aesthetic pleasure.

the sensuous delights of great music

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 voluptuous The voluptuous, extra curvy, plush golden me with a speckle of grey. Emily Blackwood, People.com, 23 Aug. 2025 Anderson became a keystone of 1990s pop culture as the voluptuous beach bunny lifeguard C.J. Parker on Baywatch. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 30 July 2025 The brand unveiled its retro designs on its Instagram posts featuring women in playful vignettes – voluptuous motifs of bygone beauty in seductive positions. Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 10 July 2025 Subsequent excavations at the site have unearthed voluptuous female figurines, prompting researchers to speculate that Catalhoyuk’s Neolithic inhabitants worshipped a fertility deity known as the Mother Goddess. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for voluptuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for voluptuous
sensual
Adjective
  • Bieber’s iteration on the trend elevated the style to a cheeky, high-fashion moment with feminine touches and sensual edge.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2025
  • For the sensual and aesthetically-inclined Libras, Atlas says a hobby like candle making is a match made in heaven.
    Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Voluptuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/voluptuous. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

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