as in warm
formal + usually disapproving
having or showing too much interest in sex
He took a prurient interest in their personal life. a book that appealed to the prurient curiosity of its readers
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Recent Examples of prurient
And yet this prurient curiosity also threatened the delicate equilibrium between devout Mormonism and hot-mom content that the group’s women were attempting to maintain.
—
Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2024
Traditionally, these sorts of pictures have allowed producers to peddle items of prurient interest under cover of edification, while maintaining an attitude of moral superiority that would have made little sense to the people the show is about.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2024
In the decades that followed, the media took a similarly prurient tack in its coverage of women’s competitive swimming.
—Sophia Stewart, The Atlantic, 21 June 2024
But beyond it, Morgan sketches a real Manhattan ruled by prurient and destructive masculine appetites, from subway tunnels occupied by ad hoc homeless communities to office towers where the city’s most powerful residents impose their wills on millions of fellow New Yorkers.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 31 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for prurient
Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2024
Traditionally, these sorts of pictures have allowed producers to peddle items of prurient interest under cover of edification, while maintaining an attitude of moral superiority that would have made little sense to the people the show is about.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2024
In the decades that followed, the media took a similarly prurient tack in its coverage of women’s competitive swimming.
—Sophia Stewart, The Atlantic, 21 June 2024
But beyond it, Morgan sketches a real Manhattan ruled by prurient and destructive masculine appetites, from subway tunnels occupied by ad hoc homeless communities to office towers where the city’s most powerful residents impose their wills on millions of fellow New Yorkers.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 31 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for prurient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prurient
Adjective
-
The suite’s interiors reflect the nature on the doorstep, with a soothing color palette of earthy browns, soft taupes and warm greens.—
Angelina Villa-Clarke,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Legionnaires is a bacterial pneumonia, caused by the bacteria legionella, which grows in warm water.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Which was a fun mid-century technique to render a pic unpublishable.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
22 Aug. 2025
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But much of what’s popping up on Substack is appealingly specific, the kind of stuff that’s unpublishable elsewhere.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
But now this metropolis of some 2 million people has more and more options for later in the day, ranging from an intimate dining counter where a local chef nerds out about indigenous ingredients to a sleek izakaya bar where the city’s scene-seeking gastronomes gather for spicy tuna hand rolls.—
Ann Abel,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Pepper jelly is the secret to perfectly caramelized pork chops packed with sweet and spicy flavor.—
Brennan Long,
Southern Living,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Part of that obscene number is the Never Say Die Ladies Turf Sprint.—
Danny Brewer,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
-
Brooklyn prosecutors charged him with misdemeanor assault, as well as menacing, reckless endangerment, possession of obscene material, interference with a professional sporting event, weapons possession and other charges, officials said.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Duran, 48, appeared in a San Jose courtroom to answer to five felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor aged 14 or 15.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Kyaw Mya, a citizen of Burma, was convicted of lascivious acts with a child-victim less than 12 years of age.—
Beatrice Peterson,
ABC News,
21 May 2025
Adjective
-
The juvenile in Canada was charged with indecent communications, uttering threats, public mischief and mischief over $5,000.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Cowan was arrested in August 2011 and charged with Daniel’s murder, indecent treatment and interfering with a corpse, the report states.—
Nicole Acosta,
People.com,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
If a user happens to make one comment that is suggestive of exhibiting mental fragility, the AI has to be computationally cautious in suddenly leaping to a conclusion that the person possesses mental fragility.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
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The researchers manually sifted through the AI hits, filtering for properties suggestive of drug-likeness and synthetic feasibility.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
While the exterior appears to be filthy, images from inside appear to show a white substance covering the steering wheel, dashboard, center console and other parts of the interior.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
23 Aug. 2025
-
Trump has repeatedly described some of the nation's largest cities, run by Democrats, with Black mayors and majority-minority populations, as dangerous and filthy.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prurient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prurient. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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