Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

pornography

American  
[pawr-nog-ruh-fee] / pɔrˈnɒg rə fi /

noun

  1. sexually explicit videos, photographs, writings, or the like, whose purpose is to elicit sexual arousal.

pornography British  
/ pɔːˈnɒɡrəfɪ, ˌpɔːnəˈɡræfɪk /

noun

  1. writings, pictures, films, etc, designed to stimulate sexual excitement

  2. the production of such material

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pornography Cultural  

  1. Books, photographs, magazines, art, or music designed to excite sexual impulses and considered by public authorities or public opinion as in violation of accepted standards of sexual morality. American courts have not yet settled on a satisfactory definition of what constitutes pornographic material. (See obscenity.)

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of pornography

1840–50; < Greek pornográph ( os ) writing about harlots ( porno-, combining form of pórnē harlot + -graphos -graph ) + -y 3

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

China’s Office of the National Working Group for the Elimination of Pornography and Illegal Publications kicked off its latest eight-month campaign in March.

From Washington Times • Dec. 8, 2021

The National Office Against Pornography and Illegal Publications said a number of local branches in Hubei province had also joined the crusade, which was seen by some online as an insult to the tutoring profession.

From Reuters • Aug. 11, 2021

Speakers at the annual conference by the Utah Coalition Against Pornography in Salt Lake City on Saturday encouraged attendees to take action in their fight against pornography and sexual materials in public spaces.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 12, 2018

In public, he created the President’s Commission on Obscenity and Pornography.

From Washington Post • Dec. 12, 2014

Simon Stephens is the author of plays including Pornography and Harper Regan.Blasted is at the Lyric Hammersmith, London W6, until 20 November.

From The Guardian • Oct. 24, 2010

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.