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
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.
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
In his interview with the Sun, Ramsay, who was at the wedding, insisted nothing "salacious" or "inappropriate" took place.
From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026
“The government always cherry picks what they feel are salacious little tidbits to spice up the indictment,” said his lawyer, William J. Brennan.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026
The first reports of the crime were mostly objective — one newspaper described Short as a “beauteous 22-year-old” — but these soon devolved into salacious gutter journalism.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 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.
