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

Other Word Forms

• erotically adverb
• antierotic adjective
• nonerotic adjective
• nonerotically adverb
• pseudoerotic adjective
• pseudoerotically adverb
• quasi-erotic adjective
• quasi-erotically adverb
• unerotic 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

The loss of the erotic drive, which made so much of my life exciting and unexpected, can leave me feeling a bit adrift.

From Los Angeles Times

Since February, at least 30 writers of gay erotic fictions, nearly all of them women in their 20s, have been arrested across the country.

From BBC

It is arguably more outwardly erotic than fans of the novel may expect.

From BBC

Frank’s erotic relationship with food is similarly unhinged.

From Salon

To me it’s what makes the song interesting — the erotic energy in a line like “You got me kissing the ground of your sanctuary.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.