prurient

adjective

pru·​ri·​ent ˈpru̇r-ē-ənt 

: marked by or arousing an immoderate or unwholesome interest or desire

especially : marked by, arousing, or appealing to sexual desire

pruriently adverb

Examples of prurient in a Sentence

He took a prurient interest in her personal life.

a book that appealed to the prurient curiosity of its readers

Recent Examples on the Web

Apart from prurient interest, why should any of us really care? —Robin Abcarian, The Mercury News, 3 Oct. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Latin prurient-, pruriens, present participle of prurire to itch, crave; akin to Latin pruna glowing coal, Sanskrit ploṣati he singes, and probably to Latin pruina hoarfrost — more at freeze

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

prurient

adjective

pru·​ri·​ent ˈpru̇r-ē-ənt 

: having or revealing indecent desires or thoughts

pruriently adverb

Legal Definition

prurient

adjective

pru·​ri·​ent ˈpru̇r-ē-ənt 

: marked by or arousing an unwholesome sexual interest or desire

pruriently adverb