lascivious
Americanadjective
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inclined to lustfulness; wanton; lewd.
a lascivious, girl-chasing old man.
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arousing sexual desire.
lascivious photographs.
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indicating sexual interest or expressive of lust or lewdness.
a lascivious gesture.
adjective
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lustful; lecherous
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exciting sexual desire
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lascivious
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin lascīvi(a) “playfulness, wantonness” ( lascīv(us) “playful, wanton” + -ia noun suffix) + -ous; see -ia
Explanation
Use lascivious to describe a person's behavior that is driven by thoughts of sex. If someone gives you a lascivious smile, they've got only one thing in mind. Latin-based lascivious and the Old English word lust both share the same Indo-European root las- "to be eager, wanton." The much older word lust originally meant "desire, pleasure" and over time developed to mean sexual desire. Lascivious, on the other hand, entered the English language in the early 15th century complete with the meaning "lewd, driven by sexual desire."
Vocabulary lists containing lascivious
My Brother Sam is Dead
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The Bluest Eye
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Challenge, List 1
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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.
“Julie has turned that company around,” said Angelina Fiordellisi, who heads the Cherry Lane Theater, which partnered with the Women’s Project on its current production, Sheila Callaghan’s "Lascivious Something."
From New York Times • May 22, 2010
Lascivious, preposterous, acutely human: that's Shakespeare's fat knight, set to music by Verdi.
From Time Magazine Archive
Lascivious Edward,—and thou perjur'd George,— And thou misshapen Dick,—I tell ye all, I am your better, traitors as ye are;— And thou usurp'st my father's right and mine.
From King Henry VI, Part 3 by Shakespeare, William
Abdelazer; or, the Moor's Revenge is an alteration of the robustious _Lust's Dominion; or, the Lascivious Queen, printed 12mo, 1657, and then attributed to Marlowe, who was certainly not the author.
From The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume II by Summers, Montague
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.
