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licentious

[lahy-sen-shuhs]
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adjective

sexually unrestrained; lascivious; libertine; lewd.
unrestrained by law or general morality; lawless; immoral.
going beyond customary or proper bounds or limits; disregarding rules.

RELATED WORDS

abandoned, animal, carnal, corrupt, debauched, depraved, desirous, disorderly, dissolute, fast, fleshly, impure, incontinent, lascivious, lax, lecherous, lewd, libertine, libidinous, loose

Nearby words

  1. licensed practical nurse,
  2. licensed vocational nurse,
  3. licensee,
  4. licensure,
  5. licentiate,
  6. licentiously,
  7. licet,
  8. lich,
  9. lich gate,
  10. lich stone

Origin of licentious

First recorded in 1525–35, licentious is from the Latin word licentiōsus unrestrained. See license, -ous
ANTONYMS FOR licentious
2. lawful.
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Related forms
Can be confusedlascivious licentious
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for licentious

British Dictionary definitions for licentious

licentious

adjective

sexually unrestrained or promiscuous
rare showing disregard for convention
Derived Formslicentiously, adverblicentiousness, noun

Word Origin for licentious

C16: from Latin licentiōsus capricious, from licentia licence
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
Word Origin and History for licentious

licentious

adj.

"morally unrestrained," 1530s, from Medieval Latin licentiosus "full of license, unrestrained," from Latin licentia (see license). Related: Licentiously; licentiousness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper