as in warm
formal + usually disapproving
having or showing too much interest in sex
He took a prurient interest in their personal life. a book that appealed to the prurient curiosity of its readers
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Recent Examples of prurient
Enter the more prurient, more indulgent, 77-minute Ænima.
—
Jeremy D. Larson, Pitchfork, 25 Jan. 2026
In response, Baxter and many other trans artists prefer to play with such perceptions, frustrating the gaze of prurient onlookers.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
First, would the work as whole be seen as prurient by an ordinary person using community standards.
—Peter Greene, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
The desire to know the answer to those questions is not a matter of prurient nosiness.
—Mick Lasalle, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for prurient
Jeremy D. Larson, Pitchfork, 25 Jan. 2026
In response, Baxter and many other trans artists prefer to play with such perceptions, frustrating the gaze of prurient onlookers.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
First, would the work as whole be seen as prurient by an ordinary person using community standards.
—Peter Greene, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
The desire to know the answer to those questions is not a matter of prurient nosiness.
—Mick Lasalle, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for prurient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prurient
Adjective
-
Insider tip Stephanie, the innkeeper, is an innkeeper in the truest sense—warm, soft-spoken, and genuinely concerned about guests’ well-being.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 May 2026
-
In warm weather, your kitchen can get unpleasantly hot when cooking in a standard oven.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Which was a fun mid-century technique to render a pic unpublishable.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
22 Aug. 2025
-
But much of what’s popping up on Substack is appealingly specific, the kind of stuff that’s unpublishable elsewhere.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
Those are followed by a look inside Milpero’s fermentation room, where a sample drink acts as a midway digestif for the spicy, spectacular hot courses served later in the night.—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
19 May 2026
-
This spicy and creamy queso is taken up a notch with a layer of creamy guacamole.—
Nellah Bailey McGough,
Southern Living,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
If this obscene gerrymander survives, the next one will purge what little remains of Democratic representation in the Legislature, where the GOP holds massive supermajorities far beyond its share of the electorate.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
-
He was also given a third charge involving obscene material and minors, according to jail records.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
Jean is charged with lewd and lascivious molestation on a child 12-16 years old and battery.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
-
He was booked into the High Desert Detention Center in San Bernardino with lewd and lascivious acts with a child.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Professor Glen-Peter Ahlers, 71, was arrested in February after at least hundreds of pornographic photos and videos of children were found on his hard drive.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
-
The illicit chatbots allegedly produced pornographic images.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The post garnered nearly 200 comments, mostly calling the meme vulgar and indecent.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
4 May 2026
-
Pamela Martin, 44, and her boyfriend Christopher O’Kane, 41, both pleaded guilty in March to three counts of making an indecent image of a child, two counts of distributing an indecent image of a child, possession of an extreme pornographic image and publishing an obscene article.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The sisters opted for suggestive sartorial choices, with Kylie Jenner stepping onto the carpet in a revealing strapless gown by Schiaparelli.—
Swasti Singhai,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
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There are several variations on classic trivia packaged into different games, as well as a one-letter-guessing game that’s suggestive of Jeopardy.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prurient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prurient. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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