as in passionate
having a strong sexual desire
a moralist who decried what she regarded as the licentious and corrupt culture of the entertainment industry
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Recent Examples of licentious
Whereas The Swimming-Pool Library transpires over one London summer — the last licentious gasp before AIDS— and The Line of Beauty spans the Thatcher era, Hollinghurst has lately been expanding his temporal horizons.
—
Sam Worley, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2024
Woodhull’s inability to counter the caricature of her as evil and licentious doomed her campaign.
—Allison Lange / Made By History, TIME, 6 Aug. 2024
Qutb also offered Khamenei a perspective on the United States as something of a licentious society, ideas Qutb had picked up during his sojourn there in the late 1940s.
—Akbar Ganji, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2013
And finally, modern far-right terrorists still frequently invoke the same libelous assertion that white women must be protected from licentious Black men.
—TIME, 14 May 2024
With his passing Thursday morning at the age of 65, Variety looks at the most memorable moments of Shane MacGowan’s licentious legacy.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023
Freedom’s licentious behavior shocks many of her fellow villagers, who conclude that her bottle must have contained some powerful intoxicant.
—Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2023
Ahmed is referring to the era in Tangier's history, beginning in the interwar period and peaking in the 1950s, when the city served as a licentious playground for a motley assortment of artists, socialites, and hedonists.
—Stephanie Rafanelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2023
In fact, Protestantism emerged in the 1500s in no small part as a reaction to the licentious behavior of some pilgrims and priests, the selling of indulgences to enrich the church or various members of the clergy, and the corruption that was associated with many pilgrimages of the time.
—James Mills, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2021
Sam Worley, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2024
Woodhull’s inability to counter the caricature of her as evil and licentious doomed her campaign.
—Allison Lange / Made By History, TIME, 6 Aug. 2024
Qutb also offered Khamenei a perspective on the United States as something of a licentious society, ideas Qutb had picked up during his sojourn there in the late 1940s.
—Akbar Ganji, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2013
And finally, modern far-right terrorists still frequently invoke the same libelous assertion that white women must be protected from licentious Black men.
—TIME, 14 May 2024
With his passing Thursday morning at the age of 65, Variety looks at the most memorable moments of Shane MacGowan’s licentious legacy.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023
Freedom’s licentious behavior shocks many of her fellow villagers, who conclude that her bottle must have contained some powerful intoxicant.
—Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2023
Ahmed is referring to the era in Tangier's history, beginning in the interwar period and peaking in the 1950s, when the city served as a licentious playground for a motley assortment of artists, socialites, and hedonists.
—Stephanie Rafanelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2023
In fact, Protestantism emerged in the 1500s in no small part as a reaction to the licentious behavior of some pilgrims and priests, the selling of indulgences to enrich the church or various members of the clergy, and the corruption that was associated with many pilgrimages of the time.
—James Mills, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for licentious
Adjective
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Young Americans are increasingly passionate about meritocracy again, and we should all be encouraged about their potential as the C-suite’s next generation of leaders.—
John Rau,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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One of those passionate fans is Mateo Carreón, a 16-year-old junior at Jesuit High School.—
CHRIS MACIAS,
Sacramento Bee,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Provide afternoon shade or filtered sunlight in hot climates.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Season to taste with salt, and serve hot with coconut chutney, sambar, and pickles if desired.—
Meher Mirza,
Saveur,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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He was convicted of attempting to commit lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and is listed on the Megan’s Law website.—
Nathan Solis,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2025
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Robert Alan Rouse, 36, of Clearwater, is charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim under 12 years old, according to Pinellas County court records filed by Clearwater police.—
Alexandra Koch,
Fox News,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The story about Dieter sounds mostly made up, likely by a lustful Kier who invented a lustful brother to cover up his secret shame.—
Josh Wigler,
The Hollywood Reporter,
10 Feb. 2025
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However, Orlok is secretly an agent of evil who haunts Hutter’s new wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) into lustful submission.—
Rudie Obias,
The Hollywood Reporter,
22 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Licentious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/licentious. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
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