lascivious

adjective

las·​civ·​i·​ous lə-ˈsi-vē-əs 

: filled with or showing sexual desire : lewd, lustful

lascivious acts/thoughts

arrested for lewd and lascivious assault

… crude and lascivious remarks …

—John Nichols

He is every woman's worst nightmare: the lascivious shark in a gold chain, loud sport shirt and polyester suit …

—Susan Schindehette et al.

lasciviously adverb

His show always began with Benny in a public park leering lasciviously at a bevy of young beauties …

—Gyles Brandreth

lasciviousness noun

… he satirized the contrived unions favored by upper society, exposing the greed, corruption, and lasciviousness with which they were permeated.

—Harvey Rachlin

Synonyms

• bawdy
• blue
• coarse
• crude
• dirty
• filthy
• foul
• gross
• gutter
• impure
• indecent
• lewd
• locker-room
• nasty
• obscene
• pornographic
• porny
• profane
• raunchy
• ribald
• smutty
• stag
• trashy
• unprintable
• vulgar
• wanton
• X-rated

Examples of lascivious in a Sentence

He was arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior.

was criticized for making lascivious remarks that offended many in the group

Recent Examples on the Web

Joe Urias was arrested on charges of lewd and lascivious behavior, burglary of an unoccupied structure, marijuana possession and battery on an officer, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE. —Christine Pelisek, People.com, 5 Dec. 2024

The Victorian-era Comstock Act is a law that prohibits sending lewd or lascivious material, like pornography, or any material intended for producing abortions, like the drug mifepristone, through the mail. —Hannah Gaskill, Baltimore Sun, 11 Nov. 2024

The results can be hilarious, as when Costanzo’s lower register pours out of Venturi, who swaggers and stamps her way across the stage as the lascivious Count Almaviva, a femme form joyously channeling ridiculous machismo. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024

Footage from the early days of her rap aspirations show her mother, who was also her manager, coaching Megan on the right way to punctuate certain words in her rhymes and shooting ad hoc music videos from lascivious angles. —Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin lasciviosus, from Latin lascivia wantonness, from lascivus wanton — more at lust entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

lascivious

adjective

las·​civ·​i·​ous lə-ˈsiv-ē-əs 

: lewd sense 1, lustful

lasciviously adverb

lasciviousness noun

Legal Definition

lascivious

adjective

las·​civ·​i·​ous lə-ˈsi-vē-əs 

: reflecting or producing sexual desire or behavior especially that is considered indecent or obscene

lewd and lascivious behavior