as in passionate
having a strong sexual desire
a moralist who decried what she regarded as the licentious and corrupt culture of the entertainment industry
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Recent Examples of licentious
Whereas The Swimming-Pool Library transpires over one London summer — the last licentious gasp before AIDS— and The Line of Beauty spans the Thatcher era, Hollinghurst has lately been expanding his temporal horizons.
—
Sam Worley, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2024
Woodhull’s inability to counter the caricature of her as evil and licentious doomed her campaign.
—Allison Lange / Made By History, TIME, 6 Aug. 2024
Qutb also offered Khamenei a perspective on the United States as something of a licentious society, ideas Qutb had picked up during his sojourn there in the late 1940s.
—Akbar Ganji, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2013
And finally, modern far-right terrorists still frequently invoke the same libelous assertion that white women must be protected from licentious Black men.
—TIME, 14 May 2024
With his passing Thursday morning at the age of 65, Variety looks at the most memorable moments of Shane MacGowan’s licentious legacy.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023
Freedom’s licentious behavior shocks many of her fellow villagers, who conclude that her bottle must have contained some powerful intoxicant.
—Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2023
Ahmed is referring to the era in Tangier's history, beginning in the interwar period and peaking in the 1950s, when the city served as a licentious playground for a motley assortment of artists, socialites, and hedonists.
—Stephanie Rafanelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2023
In fact, Protestantism emerged in the 1500s in no small part as a reaction to the licentious behavior of some pilgrims and priests, the selling of indulgences to enrich the church or various members of the clergy, and the corruption that was associated with many pilgrimages of the time.
—James Mills, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2021
Sam Worley, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2024
Woodhull’s inability to counter the caricature of her as evil and licentious doomed her campaign.
—Allison Lange / Made By History, TIME, 6 Aug. 2024
Qutb also offered Khamenei a perspective on the United States as something of a licentious society, ideas Qutb had picked up during his sojourn there in the late 1940s.
—Akbar Ganji, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2013
And finally, modern far-right terrorists still frequently invoke the same libelous assertion that white women must be protected from licentious Black men.
—TIME, 14 May 2024
With his passing Thursday morning at the age of 65, Variety looks at the most memorable moments of Shane MacGowan’s licentious legacy.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023
Freedom’s licentious behavior shocks many of her fellow villagers, who conclude that her bottle must have contained some powerful intoxicant.
—Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2023
Ahmed is referring to the era in Tangier's history, beginning in the interwar period and peaking in the 1950s, when the city served as a licentious playground for a motley assortment of artists, socialites, and hedonists.
—Stephanie Rafanelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2023
In fact, Protestantism emerged in the 1500s in no small part as a reaction to the licentious behavior of some pilgrims and priests, the selling of indulgences to enrich the church or various members of the clergy, and the corruption that was associated with many pilgrimages of the time.
—James Mills, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for licentious
Adjective
-
The tight retails for $118, and comes in such colors as black, desert red, passionate pink, lavender lux, magenta smoke, washed denim, true navy, espresso, Army green and solar gray.—
Lisa Lockwood,
WWD,
11 Feb. 2025
-
An active member of the Society of American Travel Writers, Alexandra Owens is passionate about writing stories that highlight the power and potential of responsible ecotourism.—
Alexandra Owens,
AFAR Media,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The lady from New York, their big thing was called white hot hot dogs — really unique, smaller, and a larger ring bologna diameter.—
Kristine M. Kierzek,
Journal Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2025
-
Spicy foods, caffeine, hot drinks, and alcohol can contribute to overheating.5 Evidence suggests that diets rich in phytoestrogens—plant compounds that act similarly to the hormone estrogen—may help balance hormone levels and ease hot flashes.—
Sarah Jividen,
Health,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Charles Williams, 26, is being held without bond at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on several felony charges, including lewd and lascivious exhibition on a child, lewd and lascivious behavior and child molestation.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2025
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He was charged with seven counts of lewd and lascivious molestation against a child between 12 and 16 years old, three counts of offenses against students by authority figures, and three counts of lewd and lascivious behavior.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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However, Orlok is secretly an agent of evil who haunts Hutter’s new wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) into lustful submission.—
Rudie Obias,
The Hollywood Reporter,
22 Jan. 2025
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Furthermore, the film hinges on the passionate, lustful romance between Fiennes and Mol, a fire that supposedly burns for over 14 years, but the palpable lack of chemistry between the two leads renders the love story completely ineffective.—
Vikram Murthi,
Vulture,
21 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near licentious
Cite this Entry
“Licentious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/licentious. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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