salacious

[ suh-ley-shuhs ]

adjective

1. lustful or lecherous.

   Synonyms: libidinous, lascivious, wanton, lewd

   Antonyms: modest

2. (of writings, pictures, etc.) obscene; grossly indecent.

   Synonyms: pornographic

salacious

/ səˈlæsɪtɪ; səˈleɪʃəs /

adjective

1. having an excessive interest in sex
2. (of books, magazines, etc) erotic, bawdy, or lewd

Derived Forms

• saˈlaciousness, noun
• saˈlaciously, adverb

Other Words From

• sa·lacious·ly adverb
• sa·lacious·ness sa·lac·i·ty [s, uh, -, las, -i-tee], noun
• unsa·lacious adjective
• unsa·lacious·ly adverb
• unsa·lacious·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of salacious¹

1635–45; < Latin salāci- (stem of salāx ) lustful (derivative of salīre to jump, move spasmodically, spurt; salient, saltation ) + -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of salacious¹

C17: from Latin salax fond of leaping, from salīre to leap

Example Sentences

Her climb from lifestyle author to homemaking empress, along with her fall and brief imprisonment, spawned endless special reports, gossip columns, parodies, and unauthorized biographies both serious and salacious.

From Salon

Zehme’s research was voluminous but those looking for headline-grabbing revelations or even the salacious behind-the-scenes details of the 2013 “Johnny Carson,” written by Carson’s long-time-til-fired lawyer Henry Bushkin, will be disappointed.

From Los Angeles Times

Not that the storms led to some irredeemable gaffe or unveiled some salacious scandal.

From Salon

They were both salacious and memorable, in a way that lent credibility to Mackris’ claims and gave fodder for comedians and bloggers, like the loofah thing.

From Slate

“This is not us. These are not our words. And this is not anything that is characteristic of me,” Robinson told CNN.“I’m not going to get into the minutia of how somebody manufactured this, these salacious tabloid lies.”

From Salon

Related Words

• indecent
• lewd
• obscene
• prurient