erotic

[ ih-rot-ik ]

adjective

1. arousing or satisfying sexual desire:

   an erotic dance.

   Synonyms: erogenous, aphrodisiac, sexy, sensuous

2. of, relating to, or treating of sexual love; amatory:

   an erotic novel.

3. subject to or marked by strong sexual desire.

noun

1. an erotic poem.
2. an erotic person.

erotic

/ ɪˈrɒtɪk /

adjective

1. of, concerning, or arousing sexual desire or giving sexual pleasure
2. marked by strong sexual desire or being especially sensitive to sexual stimulation

noun

1. a person who has strong sexual desires or is especially responsive to sexual stimulation

Derived Forms

• eˈrotically, adverb

Other Words From

• e·roti·cal·ly adverb
• anti·e·rotic adjective
• none·rotic adjective
• none·roti·cal·ly adverb
• pseudo·e·rotic adjective
• pseudo·e·roti·cal·ly adverb
• quasi-e·rotic adjective
• quasi-e·roti·cal·ly adverb
• une·rotic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of erotic¹

1615–25; < Greek erōtikós of love, caused by love, given to love, equivalent to erōt- (stem of érōs ) Eros + -ikos -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of erotic¹

C17: from Greek erōtikos of love, from erōs love

Example Sentences

Starz’s Little Birds is not a faithful adaptation of Anaïs Nin’s erotic story collection, which wouldn’t fly even on premium cable.

From Time

Sarah Lasley’s “How I Choose to Spend the Rest of My Birthing Years” borrows an erotic scene from a single, not-so-old movie, 1987’s “Dirty Dancing.”

From Washington Post

From the duo’s start, the gravel-voiced Elucid and differently gravel-voiced Woods have shared a snaking lyricism that is capable of encompassing and communicating transnational mysticism, interior romanticism and erotic misadventure.

From Washington Post

The finely crafted seats are exquisite—and slightly erotic, with deep-massage functions that caressed and stimulated me in sinful ways.

From Washington Blade

Femme-cee Diva Darling hosts a sexy night of virtual storytelling as open-mic participants share true stories of consensual erotic adventures gone wrong.

From Washington Blade

“Gronkowski” itself never manages to sound more erotic than the name of a hearty Polish stew or a D-list WWE performer.

From The Daily Beast

ME3M was like online sex without the sex: seedy, dehumanized, segmented, and awkward—yet often still erotic.

From The Daily Beast

Who was the most erotic poet of the late Renaissance and early Baroque, when the quatrain reached its courtly zenith?

From The Daily Beast

It was about his art-making, but the communal life was based on erotic liberation.

From The Daily Beast

Meanwhile, Carmela has an erotic religion-tinged flirtation with Father Phil back at the house.

From The Daily Beast

Lily Pendleton was known to have once essayed an erotic novel, and had read a few chapters to some of her closer friends.

From Project Gutenberg

He handed Andrea the rare volume, which was illustrated with erotic vignettes.

From Project Gutenberg

Even jealousy, which is often regarded as characteristic of the erotic sentiments, does not necessarily possess a sexual basis.

From Project Gutenberg

Ribbing87 contends that we must regard it as abnormal when a boy of thirteen or fourteen is obsessed (hanté) by erotic ideas.

From Project Gutenberg

In the English erotic literature, it is remarkable how often and how fully the flagellation of children is described.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• amorous
• bawdy
• carnal
• lewd
• obscene
• romantic
• seductive
• sensual
• sexual
• steamy
• suggestive

About This Word

What does erotic mean?

Erotic is an adjective used to describe things that are or are intended to be sexually arousing or pleasurable, as in erotic novel or erotic dancing.

Example: It’s a regular bookstore, but it has an erotic literature section. 

Erotic can also be used to describe something that relates to or involves sex or sexual content, as in The virus was linked to ads on erotic websites. 

The related noun erotica refers to works like films and literature that are primarily erotic or that contain erotic elements.

Material that contains graphic sexual content is often referred to as pornography or porn (epecially when that’s all it contains). Labelling things as erotic may be an attempt to indicate that sexual elements are only part of the content, or simply to make them sound more tasteful or highbrow.

Much less commonly, erotic can be used as a noun to refer to a person who has intense sexual desire is easily sexually stimulated.

Where does erotic come from?

The first records of the word erotic come from the early 1600s. It comes from the Greek erōtikós, meaning “of love,” “caused by love,” or “given to love,” from erōs, love.

Sex and love have been linked since ancient times, and the root erōs is the basis for other terms involving sex, such as eros, meaning “physical love” or “sexual desire,” and erogenous, meaning “sensitive to sexual stimulation.”

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to erotic?

• erotically (adverb)
• nonerotic (adjective)
• eroticize
• eroticism

What are some synonyms for erotic?

• sexual

What are some words that share a root or word element with erotic? 

• erotica
• eros
• erogenous

What are some words that often get used in discussing erotic?

• sex
• adult
• dance
• film
• literature
• novel
• content
• entertainment

How is erotic used in real life?

The word erotic is often used in the context of movies and books with sexual content.

I do not know whether I can watch the NT's Treasure Island again because I find the prospect of Rory-from-Doctor-Who in pirate get-up quite frankly too erotic to handle

— Rosie Fletcher (@rosieatlarge) April 17, 2020

Reading erotic fiction at 2AM under the covers when I was 16 turned me into the woman I am today 😂

— Jade🍒 (@ChaelaKaylaaa) August 18, 2020

I wonder if people 400 years ago ever wrote erotic fanfiction about Shakespeare's plays.

— Mark (@markiplier) August 26, 2013