erotic

adjective

erot·​ic i-ˈrä-tik 

variants or less commonly erotical

i-ˈrä-ti-kəl 

1

: of, devoted to, or tending to arouse sexual love or desire

erotic art

2

: strongly marked or affected by sexual desire

erotic noun

erotically

i-ˈrä-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• sexy
• sensual

Examples of erotic in a Sentence

the erotic aspects of the story of Beauty and the Beast

Recent Examples on the Web

Romance readers are known to highlight, dog-ear and annotate their favorite romantic or erotic scenes. —Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2025

Mea Culpa is Perry at his most knowingly silly, and a throwback to erotic thrillers of decades past. —Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025

The back of the knee is a surprisingly erotic spot, sensitive to light touch and teasing. —Essence, 11 Sep. 2025

To make peace, Replika reinstated the right to practice erotic role play, but only for legacy users who’d signed up before February, 2023. —Patricia Marx, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Greek erōtikos, from erōt-, erōs

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing erotic

• anti-erotic

Rhymes for erotic

• aprotic
• aquatic
• biotic
• chaotic
• cirrhotic
• despotic
• dichotic
• euphotic
• exotic
• fibrotic
• hieratic
• hypnotic

Kids Definition

erotic

adjective

erot·​ic i-ˈrät-ik 

: of, relating to, or marked by sexual love or desire

erotically

-ˈrät-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

eroticism

-ˈrät-ə-ˌsiz-əm

noun

Medical Definition

erotic

adjective

erot·​ic i-ˈrät-ik 

variants also erotical

i-ˈrät-i-kəl 

1

: of, devoted to, or tending to arouse sexual love or desire

2

: strongly marked or affected by sexual desire

erotically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb