libidinous
Americanadjective
-
full of sexual lust; lustful; lewd; lascivious.
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of the libido.
adjective
-
characterized by excessive sexual desire
-
of or relating to the libido
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of libidinous
1400–50; late Middle English lybydynous < Latin libīdinōsus willful, lustful, equivalent to libīdin- (stem of libīdō ) libido + -ōsus -ous
Explanation
When you're libidinous you're driven by your libido, meaning your sex drive. When you describe someone as libidinous, it's usually not a compliment, since the word suggests being out of control with lust and desire. The word libidinous comes from the Latin word libido, meaning "desire," a word the world relearned from Sigmund Freud in the early 1900s. Freud believed that the libido is one of the powerful motivating forces for people and that psychological health is determined by how well a person controls and focuses it.
Vocabulary lists containing libidinous
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
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The Man in the High Castle
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The Great Santini
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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.
Where Charlize Theron’s Calypso ought to have been angry, funny, skilled in rhetoric and libidinous, according to Wilson, she’s “an unpaid therapist.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Their care was funded by great commercial wealth—among the most compelling characters here is the man whose bequest first financed the Innocenti: Francesco Datini, a preposterously wealthy, libidinous and melancholy-prone merchant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
In later life, Phillips grew tired of playing libidinous, cravat-wearing libertines and took the brave decision to shelve light comedy, and have a go at serious stuff.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2022
James' portrayal is undeniably delicate and compassionate, defying the common '90s portraiture of Anderson making her out to be a libidinous twit.
From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2022
I mean even personal respect—the modest respect of humanity, and fellow-feeling; not the libidinous mockery of gallantry, nor the insolent condescension of protectorship.
From Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Wollstonecraft, Mary
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.
