Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

lewd

American  
[lood] / lud /

adjective

lewder, lewdest

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

  2. obscene or indecent, as language or songs; salacious.

  3. Obsolete.

    1. low, ignorant, or vulgar.

    2. base, vile, or wicked, especially of a person.

    3. bad, worthless, or poor, especially of a thing.

lewd British  
/ luːd /

adjective

  1. characterized by or intended to excite crude sexual desire; obscene

  2. obsolete

    1. wicked

    2. ignorant

"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

Other Word Forms

  • lewdly adverb
  • lewdness noun

Etymology

Origin of lewd

First recorded before 900; Middle English leud, lewed, Old English lǣwede “lay, unlearned”

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.

On May 21, the university notified Gradoni of his interim suspension for violating campus policies on disruption and disorderly or lewd conduct, among others.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2024

The Comstock Act, championed by anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock and passed in 1873, made it a federal crime to send or receive any material deemed "obscene, lewd or lascivious".

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2024

The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board will immediately suspend enforcement of its lewd conduct rule after inspections at Seattle LGBTQ+ nightlife venues last weekend drew sharp criticism from community members.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 1, 2024

"Even if they were, it's not grounds for removing a liquor license. Drag is not lewd, nor is it a public nuisance as the state claims."

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2023

That she was lewd, tonguing her teeth at them, upside down and dying, that she vomited a serpent that turned to smoke when it hit the ground.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

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.