luscious
Americanadjective
-
highly pleasing to the taste or smell.
luscious peaches.
- Synonyms:
- palatable, delectable
- Antonyms:
- unpalatable, disgusting
-
richly satisfying to the senses or the mind.
the luscious style of his poetry.
-
richly adorned; luxurious.
luscious furnishings.
-
arousing physical, or sexual, desire; voluptuous.
a luscious figure.
-
sweet to excess; cloying.
adjective
-
extremely pleasurable, esp to the taste or smell
-
very attractive
-
archaic cloying
Related Words
See delicious.
Other Word Forms
- lusciously adverb
- lusciousness noun
- overluscious adjective
- overlusciously adverb
- overlusciousness noun
Etymology
Origin of luscious
1375–1425; late Middle English lucius, unexplained variant of licius, aphetic variant of delicious
Explanation
Calling something luscious means it's appealing and incredibly pleasing to the senses. That goes for good-looking people as well as a rich piece of chocolate cake. An adjective meaning richly appealing or scrumptious, luscious is actually believed to be a shortened version of delicious. Synonyms include succulent, savory and enticing — all words that can also be used to either describe a perfectly cooked steak or your crush's unbelievable, irresistible lips.
Vocabulary lists containing luscious
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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Simply Scrumptious! Synonyms for "Delicious"
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"The Witches" by Roald Dahl, Chapters 6–11
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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.
But you won’t miss them: a little crème fraîche and honey make the custard luscious.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
Samsung showed off luscious flower fields on a 130-inch beast that’s more highway billboard than home TV.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026
They live in stylish houses surrounded by luscious greenery, woodland, a meadow and a river.
From BBC • Jul. 18, 2025
Yes, I suppose, but only to improve our home in Culver City, give us a luscious yard and a new paved driveway.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2025
Her hair was a thick and luscious gold, her eyes hazel and slightly feline.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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.
