What does lustful mean?
Lustful means marked by strong or excessive sexual desire, and it can also describe an intense, uncontrolled craving for power, wealth, status, or other objects of ambition. The adjective focuses on the character of the desire or on the behaviour it produces, rather than simply naming the feeling itself; a person may have lust, while their attention or actions are described as lustful. Its figurative uses are often dramatic and moralizing, especially when describing obsession or appetite for domination. In ordinary conversation, lustful is more forceful and literary than words such as “sexy,” and it can carry a negative implication of excess. The word is useful where the intensity of desire matters, especially in descriptions of literature, politics, mythology, and moral conflict.
adjectiveHaving or showing strong or excessive sexual desire. It can also describe an intense, often uncontrolled craving for something.
- Having or showing strong or excessive sexual desire.
- Having an intense, often uncontrolled craving for something, especially power, wealth, status, or revenge.
"The novel explores the character's lustful pursuit of fame and power."
"The king became lustful for power and ordered the construction of an enormous palace."
"Her lustful gaze unsettled everyone in the room."
Lustful captures not merely sexual attraction but the dangerous force of desire itself: the same word can describe passion, appetite, and obsession.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lustful come from?
“Lustful” is an adjective formed from the Old English word “lust,” meaning desire or appetite. The suffix “-ful” developed in Middle English and indicates being full of a quality, so “lustful” literally came to mean full of desire. The word belongs to a family that includes “lustily,” “lusty,” and “lustiness,” reflecting the same long-standing sense of strong appetite and sexual or emotional desire.
Related word forms
How lustful is actually used
The word is commonly used in literary, historical, and moral contexts. It may sound more formal or dramatic than “sexy,” and in the extended sense it can suggest an insatiable or obsessive appetite rather than ordinary desire.
Easily confused with lustful
Lust is the feeling or desire itself, whereas lustful describes a person, behaviour, or thing marked by that desire.
Lustful usually suggests strong or excessive sexual desire, while lusty more often means vigorous, robust, or enthusiastic.