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salacious

adjective
sa·​la·​cious | \ sə-ˈlā-shəs How to pronounce salacious (audio) \

Definition of salacious

1 : arousing or appealing to sexual desire or imagination salacious headlines salacious lyrics
2 : lecherous, lustful … have fiercely denounced the book's sketches of melodramatic lovers and salacious partygoers …— Casey Greenfield
Other Words from salacious Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about salacious

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Other Words from salacious

salaciously adverb
salaciousness noun

Examples of salacious in a Sentence

Lady Worsley's Whim, the story of Lady Worsley and her husband Sir Richard Worsley, is also reconstructed from some well-thumbed texts, in this case trial transcripts and newspaper reports of cases of "Criminal Conversation" which became popular eighteenth-century erotica. Charges … were brought by husbands seeking damages from the purported lovers of their supposedly adulterous wives, and the detail, which needed to be explicit, was frequently salacious. — Norma Clarke, Times Literary Supplement, 21 Nov. 2008 From snarky political commentary to salacious "memoirs" that flirt with both fact and fiction, scores of bloggers have gotten the book deal boon—with mixed results at the register. — Eunice Lee et al., Hyphen, Winter 2007 There's little difference between the junk mail in your mailbox and the junk e-mail that appears on your monitor, except that the e-mail is often of a salacious nature, e.g., the "hot, live XXX action" available at various dark alleyways on the web. — Michael Saunders, Boston Globe, 6 Oct.1997 a song with salacious lyrics the salacious Greek god Pan is generally portrayed as having the legs, horns, and ears of a goat
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Since making his allegations in late July, Sullivan has slowly trickled out more of the meeting’s salacious details to the public, including derogatory terms Bonnen used to refer to some of his House colleagues. — James Barragán, Dallas News, "Texas Democrats sue over secret meeting between House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, Empower Texans CEO," 8 Aug. 2019 To those following the #GrantAmato trial: As some of the more salacious details are presented in court today, please remember the victims, whose deaths have left a void in this small community and continue to agonize those who knew the family. — Michael Williams, orlandosentinel.com, "Grant Amato trial: Jurors see Bulgarian webcam model at center of triple-homicide case," 12 July 2019 Although many Republicans have said so, the salacious dossier compiled by Steele was not the genesis of the Russia investigation opened by the FBI. — Camilo Montoya-galvez, CBS News, "Trump campaign says it will handle foreign info on rivals on "case by case basis"," 13 June 2019 Lawmakers are demanding to know about his and his wife's ties to the ex- British spy who authored the salacious, but unsubstantiated dossier funded by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. — Fox News, "Rudy Giuliani on McGahn's testimony, origins of Russia probe," 19 Aug. 2018 Despite acknowledging dossier allegations as being salacious and unverified, former FBI Director James Comey briefed those allegations to President Obama and President-elect Trump. — NBC News, "Full transcript: Mueller testimony before House Judiciary, Intelligence committees," 25 July 2019 The rigidness of the body betrays the salacious reclining posture, and the girl’s flat steely-eyed glare is hardly an invitation to look. — Longreads, "A Minor Figure," 20 July 2019 Out My Window George Eastman Museum Through Jan. 1, 2019 More Art Reviews Ms. Halaban’s intentions are nobler than mere voyeurism; in fact, there is nothing in the least salacious about her make-believe Peeping Tomism. — William Meyers, WSJ, "‘Gail Albert Halaban: Out My Window’ Review: Voyeuristic Beauty," 18 Sep. 2018 In an entertainment landscape that so clearly prized interpersonal chaos, the introduction of LGBTQ story lines was unsurprisingly salacious. — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "The Slow, Messy Evolution of LGBTQ Dating Shows," 4 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'salacious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of salacious

circa 1645, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for salacious

Latin salac-, salax, from salire to move spasmodically, leap — more at sally

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More Definitions for salacious

salacious

adjective
How to pronounce salacious (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of salacious

formal + disapproving : relating to sex in a way that is excessive or offensive

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More from Merriam-Webster on salacious

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with salacious

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for salacious

Spanish Central: Translation of salacious

Nglish: Translation of salacious for Spanish Speakers

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