voyeurism
noun
voy·eur·ism
| \ vwä-ˈyər-ˌi-zəm
, vȯi-ˈər-\
, vȯi-ˈər-\
Definition of voyeurism
: the desires or behavior of a voyeur: such as
a
: the practice of obtaining sexual gratification from observing others
Psychiatrists generally divide paraphilias into two groups: those focused on objects, like a foot fetish, and those focused on behaviors, like exhibitionism, voyeurism or frottage …— Benedict Carey Ward, if he was guilty of anything at all, was guilty of observation. Looking, or (if you will) leering and ogling are not normally considered indictable offenses in British courts of law, but they do shade over into voyeurism …— Paul Thomas
b
: the practice of taking pleasure in observing something private, sordid, or scandalous
Now there's a volume for those who are … bored by the salacious voyeurism of tell-alls.— Steven M. Zeitchik Voyeurism allows us to experience all the excitement of disaster, catastrophe, and pain, to witness the most horrible human events, without any danger of feeling real pain.— Gerald Mast But the voice of the diarist … will always exert a fascination close to voyeurism.— Rosellen Brown
Examples of voyeurism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
More controversy recently followed when Peter Hartley, 49, was arrested and charged with voyeurism after a camera was found hidden in a women’s restroom at Pinewood Studios in the U.K., according to The Independent. — Ale Russian, PEOPLE.com, "Daniel Craig's Next James Bond Title Revealed! 25th Movie Called No Time to Die," 20 Aug. 2019 Lee has been charged with video voyeurism within the maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. — Fox News, "United Airlines passenger accused of hiding video camera in plane's first-class bathroom," 11 Aug. 2019 The explosion wasn’t the only on-set drama at Pinewood; later that month, a man was arrested and charged with voyeurism after a hidden camera was found in the women’s bathrooms at the studio. — Suyin Haynes, Time, "A Guide to the Many Setbacks That Have Plagued the Bond 25 Production," 22 July 2019 Two days later, police arrested Aaron Stahl and charged him with video voyeurism. — Jon Schuppe, NBC News, "Give up your password or go to jail: Police push legal boundaries to get into cellphones," 7 June 2019 Steven Brandenberger, 38, faces charges of eavesdropping and video voyeurism of a person older than 19, court records show. — Tess Sheets, orlandosentinel.com, "Orange County firefighter arrested, accused of using hidden cameras to spy on roommate in shower, bed," 23 July 2019 Gallegos was arrested and booked into Mesa City Jail on suspicion of voyeurism. — Mike Cruz, azcentral, "Man arrested, suspected of looking up women's dresses at a Mesa Walmart," 10 July 2019 From my standpoint, there’s a little voyeurism in there. — Nicole Brodeur, The Seattle Times, "‘This is you’: Shopping lists become art in the hands of Vashon Island woman," 2 July 2019 Somewhere beyond exhibitionism and voyeurism—in the oceans beyond the bikinis and sunglasses—Instagram hints at the possibility of real intimacy with landscapes and humans. — Collier Meyerson, WIRED, "Instagram Is Sweet and Sort of Boring—but the Ads!," 24 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'voyeurism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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