prurient

[ proor-ee-uhnt ]

/ ˈprʊər i ənt /

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See synonyms for: prurient / prurience / pruriency on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having, inclined to have, or characterized by lascivious or lustful thoughts, desires, etc.

causing lasciviousness or lust.

having a restless desire or longing.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of prurient

1630–40; <Latin prūrient- (stem of prūriēns), present participle of prūrīre to itch

OTHER WORDS FROM prurient

pru·ri·ence, pru·ri·en·cy, nounpru·ri·ent·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use prurient in a sentence

All weekend reporters in eastern Ukraine were walking a bizarre tightrope, of prurience, politesse, and ghoulishness.
To Truly Shame Putin, Show Us the Bodies of MH17|Tim Teeman|July 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Stern, however, eschewed innuendo for straightforward prurience.
‘The Tonight Show’ Fight: Howard Stern vs. Jay Leno|The Daily Beast Video|March 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The California obscenity statute defines “prurience” as “a morbid, degrading, unhealthy interest in sex.”
If Porn Isn’t Art, Does It Still Have a Right to Exist?|Michael Stabile|May 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Somehow, the Virginia bill became a symbol of right-wing prurience, invasiveness, and insensitivity.
As Virginia Ultrasound Rule Fails, Is GOP Seeing Reproductive-Rights Backlash?|Michelle Goldberg|February 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Both books put graphic writing about sex in the service of something besides mere prurience.
Hot, Bothered, and Bored|Malcolm Jones|August 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
There is something unpleasant, painful, degrading in this ingenious mingling of prurience and prudery.
Impressions And Comments|Havelock Ellis
There was no angry prurience for fame or gold underlying such complaints.
William Blake|Algernon Charles Swinburne
Burton argues that the "naive indecencies of the text of The Arabian Nights are rather gaudisserie than prurience."
The Life of Sir Richard Burton|Thomas Wright
He never spoke on this subject with the slobbery grin of the voluptuary, or the leer of prurience.
Flowers of Freethought|George W. Foote
That amazing mixture of sententious moralities, of prurience, and of mawkish sentiment, became the rage of the Town.
Henry Fielding: A Memoir|G. M. Godden

British Dictionary definitions for prurient

prurient

/ (ˈprʊərɪənt) /

adjective

unusually or morbidly interested in sexual thoughts or practices

exciting or encouraging lustfulness; erotic

Derived forms of prurient

prurience, nounpruriently, adverb

Word Origin for prurient

C17: from Latin prūrīre to itch, to lust after

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

prurient

Origin of prurient

OTHER WORDS FROM prurient

Words related to prurient

How to use prurient in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for prurient

Derived forms of prurient

Word Origin for prurient