prurient

Definition

Uneasy with desire; itching; especially, having a lascivious anxiety or propensity; lustful.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin prūriēns, present participle of prūriō (“itch”).

Example Sentences

• "We know that at that period certain indecencies in the dresses, even of those who were considered as the most refined and polished men of the age, were not only tolerated but ostentatiously displayed, and every sort of device that the most prurient mind could think of was had recourse to, to attract attention or excite a smile."
• "For example, some of the more prudish senders may have averted their attention from the sexual pictures while other more prurient viewers may have intensified their gaze."
• "It must be removed at once, lest it disturb the young and arouse in adults the most prurient thoughts."

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