prurient

[ proo r-ee-uh nt ]

/ ˈprʊər i ənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prurient 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.

Nearby words

prunella, prunelle, pruning hook, pruning shears, prunt, prurient, pruriginous, prurigo, prurigo mitis, prurigo nodularis, prurigo simplex

Origin of prurient

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

Related forms

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for prurience

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
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
The vulgar call it lust, and blush and hide their faces; in their folly is the shame, in their prurience the disgrace.
The Hero|William Somerset Maugham
The prurience and prudery which have poisoned sexual life in the past are alike rendered impossible.
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 6 (of 6)|Havelock Ellis

It is refreshing to turn from cynicism and prurience, to gentle and more harmless pleasantry.
History of English Humour, Vol. 2 (of 2)|Alfred Guy Kingan L'Estrange
But, free of the prudery of the tabernacle and the prurience of the boulevard, surely the novel has a great future before it.
Belford's Magazine, Vol II, No. 10, March 1889|Various
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 prurience

prurient

/ (ˈprʊərɪənt) /

adjective

unusually or morbidly interested in sexual thoughts or practices

exciting or encouraging lustfulness; erotic

Derived Forms

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

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of prurient

Related forms

Examples from the Web for prurience

British Dictionary definitions for prurience

prurient

adjective

Derived Forms

Word Origin for prurient