amatory

[ am-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ]

/ ˈæm əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR amatory ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to lovers or lovemaking; expressive of love: amatory poems; an amatory look.

Nearby words

amathi, amati, amative, amato, amatol, amatory, amatungula, amaurosis, amaurosis congenita of leber, amaurosis fugax, amaurotic pupil

Also am·a·to·ri·al [am-uh-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-ee-uhl] /ˌæm əˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr i əl/.

Origin of amatory

1590–1600; < Latin amātōrius, equivalent to amā- (stem of amāre to love) + -tōrius -tory¹

SYNONYMS FOR amatory

amorous, ardent, passionate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR amatory ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

am·a·to·ri·al·ly, adverbpseu·do·am·a·to·ri·al, adjectivepseu·do·am·a·to·ry, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for amatory

Discretion, it goes without saying, is the cornerstone of long-term success in the amatory arts.
The Love Guru|Sean Macaulay|September 13, 2009|DAILY BEAST
"I hope my breath is not offensive from drink, Mrs. Fay," said Doyle, in an amatory whisper to the leg of the table.
Handy Andy, Volume One|Samuel Lover
To be sure, this was not by any means his first amatory venture.
Quin|Alice Hegan Rice
I am no philanthropist, nor am I a fool, and you yourself seem willing to acquit me of any amatory intentions.
A Woman's Burden|Fergus Hume

Nothing has been published in the Castilian language of this amatory style older than 1400.
Introduction to the Literature of Europe in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries, Vol. 1|Henry Hallam
Devices of the mediaeval period were parted into two divisions—religious and amatory.
The Well in the Desert|Emily Sarah Holt

British Dictionary definitions for amatory

amatory

amatorial (ˌæməˈtɔːrɪəl)

/ (ˈæmətərɪ) /

adjective

of, relating to, or inciting sexual love or desire

Word Origin for amatory

C16: from Latin amātōrius, from amāre to love

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