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

Stout's prior felony convictions include lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age in 2001 and robbery with great bodily injury in 2002, according to the district attorney. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 29 July 2024

The suspect had previously been convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 in 2001 in Butte County, and for robbery with great bodily injury in 2002 in Kern County, KCRA reported. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 26 July 2024

He was also convicted of lewd or lascivious acts on a child under 14 in Butte County, records show. —Dalia Faheid, CNN, 26 July 2024

Timothy Peter Delaney, 48, was arrested Friday by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and faces one charge of lewd or lascivious molestation of a person under the age of 12. —Lauren Brensel, Orlando Sentinel, 15 July 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