licentious
[lahy-sen-shuh s]
- sexually unrestrained; lascivious; libertine; lewd.
- unrestrained by law or general morality; lawless; immoral.
- going beyond customary or proper bounds or limits; disregarding rules.
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Origin of licentious
Synonyms
See more synonyms for licentious on Thesaurus.com2. abandoned, profligate.
Antonyms
2. lawful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for licentiousness
Contemporary Examples
But the show is deeply concerned with her growing up as a proxy for American capitalism and licentiousness.
‘Mad Men,’ ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘The Americans’: Reading Prestige TV Dramas as YA FictionAlyssa Rosenberg
April 10, 2013
Historical Examples
Flirtation has its origin either in dishonesty or licentiousness.
The Wedding RingT. De Witt Talmage
When good, they constitute virtue; when bad, licentiousness.
They were always gamblers and the devotees of licentiousness.
The Root of EvilThomas Dixon
They set apart one day in ten, not for religion, but for idleness and licentiousness.
Popular EducationIra Mayhew
Drunkenness and licentiousness are frequently the heritage of posterity.
Searchlights on Health: Light on Dark CornersB.G. Jefferis
licentious
- sexually unrestrained or promiscuous
- rare showing disregard for convention
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin licentiōsus capricious, from licentia licence
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for licentiousness
licentious
adj.
"morally unrestrained," 1530s, from Medieval Latin licentiosus "full of license, unrestrained," from Latin licentia (see license). Related: Licentiously; licentiousness.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper