lewd

[ lood ]

/ lud /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lewd ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, lewd·er, lewd·est.

inclined to, characterized by, or inciting to lust or lechery; lascivious.

obscene or indecent, as language or songs; salacious.

Obsolete.

low, ignorant, or vulgar.
base, vile, or wicked, especially of a person.
bad, worthless, or poor, especially of a thing.

Nearby words

levulose, levulosemia, levy, levy en masse, lew, lewd, lewdly, lewes, lewes, george henry, lewis, lewis acid

Origin of lewd

before 900; Middle English leud, lewed, Old English lǣwede lay, unlearned

Related forms

lewd·ly, adverblewd·ness, noun

Can be confused

lewd obscene pornographic profanatory profane

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

Examples from the Web for lewd

One interpretation suggests he is the embodiment of whisky, a lewd allusion to a tenured tradition of Scottish alcoholism.
Scotland’s ‘Yes’ Campaign and the Myth of Scottish Equality|Noah Caldwell|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was arrested the same day on felony charges of forcible rape, lewd acts on a minor, and kidnapping to commit a sexual offense.
Woman Who Says She Was Held Captive for 10 Years Feared Deportation|Caitlin Dickson|May 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Elementary School in Los Angeles, has so far been charged with 15 counts of sexual abuse and lewd acts on a child.
Los Angeles’s School Nightmare: Another Sex-Abuse Scandal|Christine Pelisek|January 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The trial brought accusations of lewd rabble-rousing and rampant sexism at corporate events—bad publicity to say the least.
Microsoft Puts Two Women in Charge of Windows|Alex Klein|November 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Did the ‘Best in Show’ actor commit a “lewd act” in a seedy Hollywood theater known for such cinematic fare as ‘Nut Busters’?
The Tale Behind Fred Willard’s Arrest in an Adult Film Theater|Christine Pelisek|July 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Hook let his cloak slip softly to the ground, and then biting his lips till a lewd blood stood on them, he stepped into the tree.
Peter and Wendy|James Matthew Barrie
Yea, one lewd person, (saith Bodin) may be received to accuse and condemne a thousand suspected witches.
The Devil in Britain and America|John Ashton
Most say, the steed's a goodly thing, But all agree, 'tis a lewd King.
The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753)|Theophilus Cibber
All we'd need, sir, at least for the lewd, public indecent exposure charge.
Eight Keys to Eden|Mark Irvin Clifton
Little they know of Rabelais who call him a lewd buffoonthe profanest of mountebanks.
Visions and Revisions|John Cowper Powys

British Dictionary definitions for lewd

lewd

/ (luːd) /

adjective

characterized by or intended to excite crude sexual desire; obscene

obsolete

wicked
ignorant

Derived Forms

lewdly, adverblewdness, noun

Word Origin for lewd

C14: from Old English lǣwde lay, ignorant; see lay ³

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