prurient
adjective
pru·ri·ent
| \ ˈpru̇r-ē-ənt
\
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Definition of prurient
: marked by or arousing an immoderate or unwholesome interest or desire
especially
: marked by, arousing, or appealing to sexual desire
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Examples of prurient in a Sentence
He took a prurient interest in her personal life.
a book that appealed to the prurient curiosity of its readers
Recent Examples on the Web
The skepticism was warranted; both women began playing music in their teens, the Runaways especially guided and misguided by older men with sometimes prurient interests who treated the group as a novelty. — chicagotribune.com, "How rock veterans from Runaways, Fanny joined forces," 29 July 2019 The skepticism was warranted; both women began playing music in their teens, the Runaways especially guided and misguided by older men with sometimes prurient interests who treated the group as a novelty. — chicagotribune.com, "How rock veterans from Runaways, Fanny joined forces," 29 July 2019 The unrelenting glare of sometimes prurient publicity was unnerving and ultimately cancerous. — Kevin Cullen, BostonGlobe.com, "Courtney Kennedy and Paul Hill’s enduring agony," 3 Aug. 2019 The skepticism was warranted; both women began playing music in their teens, the Runaways especially guided and misguided by older men with sometimes prurient interests who treated the group as a novelty. — chicagotribune.com, "How rock veterans from Runaways, Fanny joined forces," 29 July 2019 The skepticism was warranted; both women began playing music in their teens, the Runaways especially guided and misguided by older men with sometimes prurient interests who treated the group as a novelty. — Katherine Turman, Los Angeles Times, "How two fearless rock pioneers survived the ’70s and found each other four decades later," 25 July 2019 With the exception of Netflix’s quietly revelatory Dating Around, many dating shows with LGBTQ (and especially bisexual) contestants have treated them as hypersexual or prurient anomalies, as enigmas who are incapable of settling down. — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "The Slow, Messy Evolution of LGBTQ Dating Shows," 4 July 2019 The gentle gorgeousness of the art nevertheless dilutes any prurient effect the exhibition might have. — Peter Plagens, WSJ, "‘Painting the Floating World: Ukiyo-e Masterpieces From the Weston Collection’ Review: Seductive Surfaces, Unsettling Subtext," 1 Dec. 2018 Oldale was charged with one count of conducting visual surveillance, with prurient intent, of another person in a private place without consent. — Donna St. George, Washington Post, "Federal prosecutors say Maryland dad secretly filmed children in his bathroom," 13 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prurient.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for prurient
prurient
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of prurient
formal + usually disapproving
: having or showing too much interest in sex
See the full definition for prurient in the English Language Learners Dictionary
prurient
adjective
pru·ri·ent
| \ ˈpru̇r-ē-ənt
\
\
Legal Definition of prurient
: marked by or arousing an unwholesome sexual interest or desire
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