titillation

American  

[tit-l-ay-shuhn] / ˌtɪt lˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of pleasantly exciting or arousing the senses, emotions, or imagination, often in a sexually suggestive way.

   We strongly condemn journalists who rely on sensationalism and titillation to sell newspapers.

   Elevating the soul through masterful titillation of the senses is what real cooking is all about.

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Etymology

Origin of titillation

First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin titillātiōn-, stem of titillātiō, equivalent to tītillāt(us) + -iō -ion ( def. ); see titillate ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

titillation

These patchwork visions have a restrained, contemplative air that carefully weighs the seriousness of their themes without ever dipping into melodrama or titillation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026

It wasn’t until after the show that I read May’s program note about “exposing the titillation of postmodernism’s detached aesthetics and its unbearable absurdity.”

From New York Times ● May 8, 2023

Calaway is determined, too, to avoid cashing in as a gimmick, wheeled out as a past-his-prime spectacle for the titillation of crowds.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 23, 2020

When he shaved his signature mustache in 2001 — “on a whim,” he said — his viewership erupted in titillation.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 8, 2020

I saw that all activity, all the pleasant palpitation and titillation in the life of Nature and of Man, merely means that one living thing is feeding upon or is feeding another.

From Master of His Fate by J. Mclaren Cobban

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