libido
noun
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The Latin word libido, meaning "desire, lust", was borrowed by Sigmund Freud as the name for a concept in his own theories. At first he defined libido to mean the instinctual energy associated with the sex drive. Later he broadened the word's meaning and began using it to mean the mental energy behind purposeful human activity of any kind; in other words, the libido (for which Freud also used the term eros, a Greek word meaning "sexual love") came to be regarded as the life instinct, which included sex along with all the other impulses we rely on to keep us alive. But those of us who aren't psychologists use the word simply as a synonym for "sex drive".
Examples of libido in a Sentence
Rachel Hope Cleves / Made By History, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025
For instance, people assigned female at birth (AFAB) appear to have lower libido than people assigned male at birth (AMAB).5
Working on your relationship might also help improve your libido.
—Joy Emeh, Health, 10 Feb. 2025
So instead, his rampaging libido attempts to express itself during one of his treatments, much to the surprise and discomfort of his massage therapist.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2025
She’s also lost 6% of her body fat since starting TRT—and her libido improved.
—Angela Haupt, TIME, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for libido
Cite this Entry
“Libido.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/libido. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
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