as in thrill
a pleasurably intense stimulation of the feelings
a cultural critic who argues that people have become too dependent upon the instant gratification and titillation that television and the Internet provide
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Recent Examples of titillation
Kristi Noem, the head of the Department of Homeland Security, posed in front of a group of immigrants sent to a torture site in El Salvador, in a show of sadistic titillation.
—
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
Turning our back on data would remove any outside accountability, leave policymakers driving a car without map or road, and lead the country to a place where the titillation of conspiracy and cherry-picked numbers become the only barometer of what’s real.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
Historically, Minter said, such paintings were a sanctioned form of titillation.
—Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2025
But the companies that were early to embrace mature AI also encountered legal and societal minefields and harmful abuse as a growing number of people have turned to the technology for companionship or titillation.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
There were moments of incredible intimacy as well as moments of titillation and moments of danger.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 8 Oct. 2025
That’s a sad thing for fashion, because fashion is about titillation and should be fun.
—James Fallon, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
Turning our back on data would remove any outside accountability, leave policymakers driving a car without map or road, and lead the country to a place where the titillation of conspiracy and cherry-picked numbers become the only barometer of what’s real.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
Historically, Minter said, such paintings were a sanctioned form of titillation.
—Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2025
But the companies that were early to embrace mature AI also encountered legal and societal minefields and harmful abuse as a growing number of people have turned to the technology for companionship or titillation.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
There were moments of incredible intimacy as well as moments of titillation and moments of danger.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 8 Oct. 2025
That’s a sad thing for fashion, because fashion is about titillation and should be fun.
—James Fallon, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for titillation
Noun
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In the middle of it all, songwriter Diane Warren paused to take a selfie, still evidently enjoying the giddy thrill of being in a room full of fellow hopefuls even after 17 times.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Plenty of moments on The Fall-Off remind of the hunger of his early mixtapes, the purposeful thrills of his 2010s hits, or even the misguided zaniness of KOD, though none materialize in meaningful doses.—
Benny Sun,
Pitchfork,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The guys in blue kick toward the yellow poles but the guys in white just kick it back across the field.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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With four direct free-kick goals under his belt in 2025-26, Liverpool haven’t had a more potent dead-ball specialist since Luis Suarez netted five in 2012-13.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Titillation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/titillation. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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