salacious
Americanadjective
-
lustful or lecherous.
- Synonyms:
- libidinous, lascivious, wanton, lewd
- Antonyms:
- modest
-
(of writings, pictures, etc.) obscene; grossly indecent.
- Synonyms:
- pornographic
adjective
-
having an excessive interest in sex
-
(of books, magazines, etc) erotic, bawdy, or lewd
Other Word Forms
- salaciously adverb
- salaciousness noun
- salacity noun
- unsalacious adjective
- unsalaciously adverb
- unsalaciousness noun
Etymology
Origin of salacious
1635–45; < Latin salāci- (stem of salāx ) lustful (derivative of salīre to jump, move spasmodically, spurt; salient, saltation ) + -ous
Explanation
Something salacious is full of juicy details — but they're the kind of raunchy, lusty, dirty details you probably don't want to hear. Implying a certain kind of moral looseness, salacious is often used to describe nasty gossip, obscene reports and steamy tales. Salacious things are usually not fit for general public consumption and probably need some kind of parental guidance warning. Think of the tawdry accounts of some politician's affair with a staffer, or a particularly sex-filled reality show on TV.
Vocabulary lists containing salacious
Paper Towns
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Little Fires Everywhere
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October Sky
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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.
Shell has maintained Cipriani fictionalized the two men’s dealings, then spread “false and salacious lies to extract a massive payday.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
With the revelation of Casey Wasserman’s salacious correspondence and interaction with convicted Epstein confidant and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, he has absolutely NO business leading the 2028 Olympics.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026
Fire and Fury, the first of several books spanning Trump's first stint as US president, came out in 2018, with descriptions of a dysfunctional White House and salacious details about the US commander-in-chief.
From BBC • Nov. 15, 2025
There has always been salacious gossip about the royal family, and misbehaving royals, but this time it felt much worse.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025
It needs to be said too what salacious nonsense it is to claim that Lord Darlington was anti-Semitic, or that he had close association with organizations like the British Union of Fascists.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
