titillating
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of titillating
First recorded in 1670–80; titillat(e) ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. )
Explanation
When something is titillating, it makes you feel thrilled or excited. For your book report, your English teacher will probably make you read a serious novel rather than a titillating romance. The adjective titillating implies a certain cheap or fleeting kind of excitement. Titillating things are unimportant and entertaining—maybe even a little bit lewd. The word comes from the Latin word titillationem, "a tickling," and its root titillare, " to tickle," which imitates the sound of giggling.
Vocabulary lists containing titillating
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.
That’s why “Mormon Stories” emphasizes lived experiences over scholarly discourse, even if it’s less titillating than reality television content.
From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026
What would “White Lotus” be without its titillating score and those warbled “ooh-loo-loo-loo’s?”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2025
This conceit, too, is recycled — either from the nearest Madame Tussauds, or from West’s 2016 “Famous” video, a far more titillating and genuine transgression.
From New York Times • Jan. 17, 2024
I acknowledge that chaos is titillating, and change can be exciting, and I understand the lure of joining an elite conference and what that can mean as far as prestige and visibility.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 4, 2023
It was titillating to brush up against the enigma of mortality, to steal a glimpse across its forbidden frontier.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
