What does libidinously mean?
Libidinously means in a lustful, lecherous, or intensely sensual manner. It typically characterizes conduct, expressions, or attitudes that are strongly driven by sexual desire, often with a formal and disapproving implication. For example, a person might describe a leering look as libidinously attentive, while a literary review might accuse a passage of being libidinously repetitive. The adverb is more pointed than simply describing someone as sensual: it suggests an intensity, excess, or fixation that makes lust the dominant feature of the behaviour. Although it can apply in sexual contexts, it may also be used figuratively to portray greed, acquisitiveness, or an insatiable appetite. It is therefore more rhetorical and evaluative than neutral descriptive vocabulary.
adverbIn a lustful, lecherous, or strongly sensual manner.
- In a lustful, lecherous, or strongly sensual manner.
"He regarded her with a distinctly libidinously gaze."
"She was libidinously attracted to him despite their obvious differences."
"The novel's second half becomes libidinously repetitive in its descriptions of desire."
Libidinously turns an abstract sense of desire into a memorable adverb for behaviour that is unmistakably driven by lust.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does libidinously come from?
Libidinously derives from the adjective libidinous, which was borrowed from Latin libidinosus, meaning “lustful” or “lewd.” That adjective is connected with Latin libido, meaning desire, appetite, or lust, with the longer form libidinously formed in English using the adverbial suffix -ly. Related English words include libidine, libidinal, and libido, all of which preserve the same Latin root.
How libidinously is actually used
The word is formal and markedly critical or disapproving in tone. It is commonly used of behaviour, attitudes, expressions, or writing associated with excessive sexual desire.
Easily confused with libidinously
Libidinous is the adjective describing a tendency toward lust, while libidinously describes an action performed in that manner.