licentious

[ lahy-sen-shuhs ]
See synonyms for: licentiouslicentiousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. sexually unrestrained; lascivious; libertine; lewd.

  2. unrestrained by law or general morality; lawless; immoral.

  1. going beyond customary or proper bounds or limits; disregarding rules.

Origin of licentious

1
First recorded in 1525–35, licentious is from the Latin word licentiōsus “unrestrained”; see license, -ous

Other words for licentious

Opposites for licentious

Other words from licentious

  • li·cen·tious·ly, adverb
  • li·cen·tious·ness, noun
  • non·li·cen·tious, adjective
  • non·li·cen·tious·ly, adverb
  • o·ver·li·cen·tious, adjective
  • o·ver·li·cen·tious·ly, adverb
  • un·li·cen·tious, adjective
  • un·li·cen·tious·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with licentious

Words Nearby licentious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use licentious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for licentious

licentious

/ (laɪˈsɛnʃəs) /


adjective
  1. sexually unrestrained or promiscuous

  2. rare showing disregard for convention

Origin of licentious

1
C16: from Latin licentiōsus capricious, from licentia licence

Derived forms of licentious

  • licentiously, adverb
  • licentiousness, noun

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