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
-
When deep sleep is fragmented by alcohol, a warm bedroom or an inconsistent bedtime, the entire circuit falters and growth hormone output drops significantly.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Provide afternoon shade in warm climates.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Which was a fun mid-century technique to render a pic unpublishable.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
22 Aug. 2025
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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
-
The company makes pickles in flavors such as hot, half-sour and sweet and spicy.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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It’s finished in a spicy-sweet sauce that would make a rubber tire taste good.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
For instance, the ruling recognized that the government’s need to protect national security might require it to prevent publication of the number and location of troops and that the primary requirements of decency might require censorship of obscene publications.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Bounds said this gives the mayor the power to intervene when a member of the public engages in obscene speech or in speech intended to incite others in the room.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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One man, Carlos Portillo-Nunez of El Salvador, was previously convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child in Indio, California, according to DHS.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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Along with the first-degree murder charge, which includes special circumstances of lying in wait, committing the crime for financial gain and murdering the witness in an investigation, Burke was also charged with lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14 and mutilating a body.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Swift’s likeness has been used without permission in numerous AI fakes, including by Meta’s AI chatbots and in pornographic images that have circulated on the internet.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
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This material included thousands of pornographic deepfakes that Kamnik had generated using AI tools.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Hosmer, whose criminal record dates back to 1974, was also previously convicted of second-degree home invasion, second-degree criminal conduct with a child under 13, breaking and entering with intent, and indecent liberties with a child.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Proofs are littered with suggestive ellipses.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Researchers also found highly suggestive evidence that eating more ultraprocessed foods raised the risk of obesity by 55%, sleep disorders by 41%, development of type 2 diabetes by 40% and the risk of depression by 20%.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prurient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prurient. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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