pornography

[ pawr-nog-ruh-fee ]

noun

1. sexually explicit videos, photographs, writings, or the like, whose purpose is to elicit sexual arousal.

pornography

/ pɔːˈnɒɡrəfɪ; ˌpɔːnəˈɡræfɪk /

noun

1. writings, pictures, films, etc, designed to stimulate sexual excitement
2. the production of such material

pornography

1. Books, photographs, magazines, art, or music designed to excite sexual impulses and considered by public authorities or public opinion as in violation of accepted standards of sexual morality. American courts have not yet settled on a satisfactory definition of what constitutes pornographic material. ( See obscenity .)

Derived Forms

• porˈnographer, noun
• pornographic, adjective
• ˌpornoˈgraphically, adverb

Other Words From

• por·no·graph·ic [pawr-n, uh, -, graf, -ik], adjective
• porno·graphi·cal·ly adverb
• anti·porno·graphic adjective
• anti·por·nogra·phy noun adjective
• nonpor·no·graphic adjective
• unpor·no·graphic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pornography¹

1840–50; < Greek pornográph ( os ) writing about harlots ( porno-, combining form of pórnē harlot + -graphos -graph ) + -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of pornography¹

C19: from Greek pornographos writing of harlots, from pornē a harlot + graphein to write

Example Sentences

The movement was spurred further by the #MeToo movement’s arrival in South Korea in 2018, the year that also saw mass public protests against the widespread circulation of nonconsensual pornography.

From Los Angeles Times

In addition, women in the country are victimized by deep-fake pornography at the highest rates in the world, according to an analysis of online content between July and August last year by U.S.-based cyber-security firm Security Hero.

From Los Angeles Times

Sylmar resident Alejandro Garcia Aranda was arrested in July on a three-count federal indictment for advertising and distributing more than 600 images and videos containing child pornography through his Instagram handle, “valleyhoezzz818,” which was created around May 2020.

From Los Angeles Times

People who bought the dolls posted pictures on social media of the packaging which had a pornography website called Wicked, instead of the movie's web address.

From BBC

Officials also recovered a hard drive containing child pornography with individuals as young as 7, according to the affidavit.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• smut