prurience

noun

pru·​ri·​ence ˈpru̇r-ē-ən(t)s How to pronounce prurience (audio)
: the quality or state of being prurient

Examples of prurience in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Their psychic life is not pried with pity or prurience; their paralysis or tragic humility is not mined for metaphor. Seyward Darby, Longreads, 16 July 2024 These actors’ television fame adds a whisper of remembered prurience here, a flavor of kitsch there. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2023 But there is more than prurience or even provocation at work here. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023 But this isn’t all down to her own prurience. Soraya Roberts, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020 See all Example Sentences for prurience 

Word History

First Known Use

1781, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of prurience was in 1781

Dictionary Entries Near prurience

Cite this Entry

“Prurience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prurience. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

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