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
Etymology
Origin of salacious
1635–45; < Latin salāci- (stem of salāx ) lustful (derivative of salīre to jump, move spasmodically, spurt; see 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.
“It’s a salacious story, but it’s just not a true one. And I can’t just say ‘Well, OK, that’s it for me’ because of that.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Notably, the show didn’t hook viewers with sex or other salacious material but, rather, plausible portrayals of greed and motivating vindictiveness.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
But this story is salacious, and I can’t get enough.
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026
Others are salacious — the kind of letters we might write if we were braver, bolder, well, Eve Babitz.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
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.
