horny
Americanadjective
-
consisting of a horn or a hornlike substance; corneous.
-
having a horn or horns or hornlike projections; horned.
-
hornlike as a result of hardening; callous.
horny hands.
-
Slang: Vulgar.
-
sexually excited.
-
Archaic. semiopaque or somewhat translucent, like horn.
adjective
-
of, like, or hard as horn
-
having a horn or horns
-
slang
-
sexually aroused
-
provoking or intended to provoke sexual arousal
-
sexually eager or lustful
-
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of horny
Explanation
Things that are horny either look like or are made of an animal’s horn or a similar hard material. The thick, hard nail on your big toe could be described as horny. The word horny, describing the bony projection on an animal's head, appeared in English before the 10th century. An informal meaning — that of being sexually aroused — appeared later. Male physical arousal was crudely referred to as "having the horn” in the late 18th century before becoming the word horny in the mid-19th century. First used exclusively for men, the word now describes women's sexual feelings as well.
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.
At the time, Bouldry-Morrison had been merging ideas from her two projects – her IDM productions and party music from Horny Vampyre – to create upbeat four-to-the-floor music people could dance to.
From The Guardian • Mar. 28, 2017
“Four Play” by Fred Wesley and the Horny Horns This song is funky like “The Notebook” is sad.
From Salon • Nov. 12, 2016
Another trail in the area, the Horny Hollow Trail, is hiker-only and is closed from Feb. 1 to Aug. 31 to protect breeding wildlife that are sensitive to human activity.
From Washington Times • May 16, 2015
Hornby owns brands including Horny model railways, Scalextric, Airfix, Humbrol and Corgi.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2013
The "Horny Siegfried," one of the poems of the Heldenbuch, serves as a sort of prelude to the Nibelungen.
From Handbook of Universal Literature From the Best and Latest Authorities by Botta, Anne C. Lynch
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.
