Synonyms of racy

racy

adjective

ˈrā-sē 

1

as in lively

having much high-spirited energy and movement

vivid writing and a racy plot that keeps readers turning the pages

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lively
• animated
• energetic
• active
• animate
• brisk
• bouncing
• spirited
• jaunty
• playful
• frisky
• jazzy
• zippy
• peppy
• kinetic
• sprightly
• perky
• enthusiastic
• vivacious
• spanking
• gay
• cheerful
• pert
• awake
• snappy
• springy
• airy
• sparky
• vital
• mettlesome
• on the go
• bright
• dashing
• agile
• up
• eager
• dapper
• spiffy
• pizazzy
• pizzazzy
• effervescent
• buoyant
• exuberant
• sparkly
• upbeat
• boisterous
• ebullient
• nimble
• wide-awake
• chipper
• bubbly
• spry
• alert
• chirpy
• agog
• nervous
• frolicsome
• impish
• keen
• high-spirited
• pixieish
• high-strung
• skittish
• open-eyed
• chirrupy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• languid
• inactive
• listless
• limp
• dead
• leaden
• lifeless
• inanimate
• lazy
• vapid
• inert
• languorous
• sluggish
• tired
• indolent
• sleepy
• weary
• languishing
• lackadaisical
• spiritless
• lethargic
• boring
• stolid
• dull
• tedious
• torpid
• unambitious
• impassive
• irksome
• apathetic
• phlegmatic

2

as in spicy

hinting at or intended to call to mind matters regarded as indecent

a raunchy comedy with language that was a little too racy for an eight-year-old child

Synonyms & Similar Words

• spicy
• suggestive
• vulgar
• bawdy
• lewd
• ribald
• risqué
• blue
• gamy
• naughty
• salty
• off
• pornographic
• off-color
• obscene
• crude
• gamey
• coarse
• off-colored
• raunchy
• nasty
• warm
• foul
• smutty
• prurient
• dirty
• earthy
• indecent
• filthy
• gross
• lascivious
• barnyard
• coarse-grained
• unprintable
• indelicate
• indecorous
• locker-room
• leering
• unpublishable
• X-rated
• immodest
• porny
• stag
• gutter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• clean
• decent
• inoffensive
• innocuous
• G-rated
• prudish
• Victorian
• staid
• puritanical
• nonobscene
• proper
• prim
• straitlaced
• genteel
• correct
• polite
• decorous
• priggish
• nice
• respectable
• straightlaced
• seemly

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective racy contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of racy are piquant, poignant, and pungent. While all these words mean "sharp and stimulating to the mind or the senses," racy implies having a strongly characteristic natural quality fresh and unimpaired.

spontaneous, racy prose

When might piquant be a better fit than racy?

While in some cases nearly identical to racy, piquant suggests a power to whet the appetite or interest through tartness or mild pungency.

a piquant sauce

In what contexts can poignant take the place of racy?

The synonyms poignant and racy are sometimes interchangeable, but poignant suggests something is sharply or piercingly effective in stirring one's emotions.

felt a poignant sense of loss

Where would pungent be a reasonable alternative to racy?

While the synonyms pungent and racy are close in meaning, pungent implies a sharp, stinging, or biting quality especially of odors.

a cheese with a pungent odor

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of racy

YouTube/Screenshot by NPR The New York City priest who was disciplined last year for letting pop star Sabrina Carpenter film a racy music video inside his church is now being accused of mishandling nearly $2 million in parish funds. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024

Zoey Deutch, who recently made her Broadway debut in a production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town, found herself in an embarrassing situation when an opening night gift to her classmates unwittingly tapped into a racy backstage tradition. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 20 Nov. 2024

Harris' court case attracted lots of attention, with some clamoring for Sam to return to his devilish lifestyle and animal rights activists demanding the chimp be released from his racy conditions. —Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 13 Nov. 2024

Christina Aguilera also paid homage to the Goddess of Pop for Halloween 2023, posting a racy reel to her Instagram. —Toria Sheffield, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024