lecherous

American  

[lech-er-uhs] / ˈlɛtʃ ər əs /

adjective

1. given to or characterized by lechery; lustful.

2. erotically suggestive; inciting to lust.

   lecherous photographs.

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lecherous British  

/ ˈlɛtʃərəs /

adjective

1. characterized by or inciting lechery

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Other Word Forms

• lecherously adverb
• lecherousness noun
• unlecherous adjective
• unlecherously adverb
• unlecherousness noun

Etymology

Origin of lecherous

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English word from Middle French word lechereus. See lecher, -ous

Explanation

To be lecherous is to be full of strong sexual desire and to act on it, usually in an unpleasant way. People who are lecherous are kind of obsessed with sex — they can't stop thinking about it or having it. This is a word that is used more often to describe men than women: lecherous men are called lechers. There is also a creepy flavor to this word. If you describe someone as lecherous, it usually isn't a compliment. A common use is talking about a lecherous old man who hits on younger women.

Example Sentences

Orgon, a wealthy bourgeois who has taken a much younger second wife, signs over his soul to Tartuffe, a lecherous swindler who poses as a saint while pursuing a diabolical agenda.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2024

Everybody has in the back of their mind the idea of fauns as lecherous forest creatures or fairies as deceitful shape-shifters.

From The Verge • Sep. 10, 2019

Even if his protagonists aren’t necessarily likable, he’s gifted at making them seem human — whether it’s a lecherous Southern California newscaster or the Mr. Burns of real-life political memory.

From Washington Post • Dec. 20, 2018

The final-season episode “American Bitch,” a two-hander for guest-star Matthew Rhys and the show’s star and creator, Lena Dunham, was a late-in-the-game stunner, probing the cultural confusion around lecherous, literary men.

From New York Times • Dec. 4, 2017

Shall we look to the sweater, the chattel-mortgage shark, the lecherous merchant, to reform themselves?

From White Slaves; or, the Oppression of the Worthy Poor by Banks, Louis Albert