X-rated

[ eks-rey-tid ]

adjective

1. (of a motion picture; no longer in official use by the Motion Picture Association of America) having a rating of X; intended for adults only.
2. of or relating to a pornographic film.
3. obscene, sexually explicit, or vulgar: X-rated selfies.

   X-rated dance moves;

   X-rated selfies.

X-rated

adjective

1. (formerly, in Britain) (of a film) considered suitable for viewing by adults only
2. informal.
   involving bad language, violence, or sex

   an X-rated conversation

Word History and Origins

Origin of X-rated¹

First recorded in 1970–75; X ³( def 8 ) + rate ¹( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Idioms and Phrases

Sexually explicit, vulgar, or obscene, as in This film should be X-rated; it's not suitable for children . This expression alludes to a rating system established for motion pictures, in which films rated X may not be viewed by persons under the age of 17. [c. 1970]

Example Sentences

Like, say, maintaining his X-rated shrubbery or reanimating dead flesh into a lumbering errand boy.

From Salon

"I'm the messiah… I'm Marvel Jesus!" proclaims Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool in his third lead outing as the acerbic, X-rated, genre-satirising anti-hero, who returns to cinemas on Thursday for the first time since 2018.

From BBC

For Reynolds' Deadpool, this means plenty of X-rated jokes at Disney's expense.

From BBC

Watching the gobsmacked stares of the boomer fans who’d never heard an X-rated classic Short-Dog song in their lives was worth the price of admission.—N.J.

From Los Angeles Times

Daniels testified about her X-rated 2006 encounter with Trump in Lake Tahoe, how he discussed the possibility of her appearing on “The Celebrity Apprentice,” and how she eventually received a $130,000 settlement to keep quiet.

From Salon