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

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.

From Salon

He also hit on less salacious revelations like the connection between his stutter and his drinking.

From Los Angeles Times

Unethical, salacious coverage further tilted the scales against them.

From Salon

Logan said in a statement that the county was being used as a pawn in both the civil lawsuit and federal corruption case and said the “voluminous records” the country released “refute the salacious allegations.”

From Los Angeles Times

A literary biography needn’t be an artful accretion of facts, nor should it traffic in salacious gossip and cheapen the subject at hand.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• indecent 
• lewd 
• obscene 
• prurient