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
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 2019 The film begins with diversion — a triangle involving Juan’s teenage son — and moves on to Juan’s voyeurism, encouraging Esther to fornication and exhibitionism. — Armond White, National Review, "Franco Zeffirelli: Unlikely Conservative Hero," 20 June 2019 As beautiful as the bird’s-eye view of the cell is, this work goes beyond biological voyeurism. — Quanta Magazine, "Giant Genetic Map Shows Life’s Hidden Links," 25 Oct. 2016 The modus operandi was identical _ a prowler, shoelace ligatures, voyeurism, ransacking and rapes as in the East Area Rapist cases. — Tribune News Service, oregonlive.com, "The Man in the Window: Closing in on DeAngelo (Part Four)," 23 June 2019 The 49-year-old man was subsequently charged with voyeurism, a spokesperson for Thames Valley Police told CNN. — Emily Dixon, CNN, "Man arrested after hidden camera found in James Bond studio toilets," 22 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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