salacious

[suh-ley-shuhs]

adjective

1. lustful or lecherous.

   Synonyms: libidinous, lascivious, wanton, lewd
   Antonyms: modest

2. (of writings, pictures, etc.) obscene; grossly indecent.

   Synonyms: pornographic

salacious

/ səˈlæsɪtɪ, səˈleɪʃəs /

adjective

1. having an excessive interest in sex

2. (of books, magazines, etc) erotic, bawdy, or lewd

Other Word Forms

• salaciously adverb
• salaciousness noun
• salacity noun
• unsalacious adjective
• unsalaciously adverb
• unsalaciousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of salacious¹

1635–45; < Latin salāci- (stem of salāx ) lustful (derivative of salīre to jump, move spasmodically, spurt; salient, saltation ) + -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of salacious¹

C17: from Latin salax fond of leaping, from salīre to leap

Example Sentences

Although similar imagery would grace the covers of salacious pulp magazines after World War I, there was a difference between Picou’s era and that of the pulps.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

There has always been salacious gossip about the royal family, and misbehaving royals, but this time it felt much worse.

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As a Netflix true crime film, “The Perfect Neighbor” is getting the same kind of clickbait headline treatment that a more salacious, less impactful documentary on the streamer would.

Read more on Salon

The stories of a few of his victims are told here, humanizing them beyond gory headlines and salacious true-crime fare.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was seriously injured by a deranged man in their San Francisco home in October 2022, an event that then became the subject of salacious rumors.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• indecent 
• lewd 
• obscene 
• prurient