erotic

[ ih-rot-ik ]
See synonyms for: eroticerotics on Thesaurus.com

adjectiveAlso e·rot·i·cal.
  1. arousing or satisfying sexual desire: an erotic dance.

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

  1. subject to or marked by strong sexual desire.

noun
  1. an erotic poem.

  2. an erotic person.

Origin of erotic

1
1615–25; <Greek erōtikós of love, caused by love, given to love, equivalent to erōt- (stem of érōs) Eros + -ikos-ic

Other words for erotic

Other words from erotic

  • 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

Words that may be confused with erotic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use erotic in a sentence

  • A poem that relies on the image of a storm-tossed boat to put the "row" in "erotics."

    Five Poems of Passion | Paul Muldoon | February 14, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • To prove this with all the rigidity of demonstration desirable is in the present state of erotics beyond our power.

    The Soul of the Far East | Percival Lowell
  • As Frenchmen, they thought little about marrying, but as young Parisians they led a life into which erotics entered largely.

    Tales of Two Countries | Alexander Kielland
  • Socrates described his philosophy as the science of erotics.

    A Problem in Greek Ethics | John Addington Symonds
  • It is for it that he created the trumpery horrors, the sweet erotics of the score of "Salome."

    Musical Portraits | Paul Rosenfeld
  • Much of their erotics she only half understood, but that made it all the more lovely.

    Tales of Two Countries | Alexander Kielland

British Dictionary definitions for erotic

erotic

/ (ɪˈrɒtɪk) /


adjectiveAlso: erotical
  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

Origin of erotic

1
C17: from Greek erōtikos of love, from erōs love

Derived forms of erotic

  • erotically, adverb

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