lecherous
Americanadjective
-
given to or characterized by lechery; lustful.
-
erotically suggestive; inciting to lust.
lecherous photographs.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lecherous
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English word from Middle French word lechereus. See lecher, -ous
Explanation
To be lecherous is to be full of strong sexual desire and to act on it, usually in an unpleasant way. People who are lecherous are kind of obsessed with sex — they can't stop thinking about it or having it. This is a word that is used more often to describe men than women: lecherous men are called lechers. There is also a creepy flavor to this word. If you describe someone as lecherous, it usually isn't a compliment. A common use is talking about a lecherous old man who hits on younger women.
Vocabulary lists containing lecherous
A Game of Thrones
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Novel Study: Brave New World, Chapters 7–12
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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.
Everybody has in the back of their mind the idea of fauns as lecherous forest creatures or fairies as deceitful shape-shifters.
From The Verge ● Sep. 10, 2019
Even if his protagonists aren’t necessarily likable, he’s gifted at making them seem human — whether it’s a lecherous Southern California newscaster or the Mr. Burns of real-life political memory.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 20, 2018
Inspired by the ancient Roman comedies of Plautus, it is populated by such popular stock characters as the lecherous old man, the braggart soldier and a crafty servant or two.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2017
The final-season episode “American Bitch,” a two-hander for guest-star Matthew Rhys and the show’s star and creator, Lena Dunham, was a late-in-the-game stunner, probing the cultural confusion around lecherous, literary men.
From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2017
Her face was assuredly not soft, sensual, or lecherous, but hard, wise, wholesome rather, signifying in a room full of sophisticated people the flesh and blood of life.
From Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
