Adjacent Words

Licentious definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

LICEN'TIOUS, a. [L. licentiosus.]
1. Using license; indulging freedom to excess; unrestrained by law or morality; loose; dissolute; as a licentious man.
2. Exceeding the limits of law or propriety; wanton; unrestrained; as licentious desires. Licentious thoughts precede licentious conduct.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: lacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained; "coarse and licentious men"

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Latin licentiosus, from licentia Date: 1535 1. lacking legal or moral restraints; especially disregarding sexual restraints 2. marked by disregard for strict rules of correctness • licentiously adverb • licentiousness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 immoral in sexual relations. 2 archaic disregarding accepted rules or conventions. Derivatives: licentiously adv. licentiousness n. Etymology: L licentiosus f. licentia: see LICENCE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Licentious Li*cen"tious (-sh[u^]s), a. [L. licentiosus: cf. F. licencieux. See License.] 1. Characterized by license; passing due bounds; excessive; abusive of freedom; wantonly offensive; as, a licentious press. A wit that no licentious pertness knows. --Savage. 2. Unrestrained by law or morality; lawless; immoral; dissolute; lewd; lascivious; as, a licentious man; a licentious life. ``Licentious wickedness.'' --Shak. Syn: Unrestrained; uncurbed; uncontrolled; unruly; riotous; ungovernable; wanton; profligate; dissolute; lax; loose; sensual; impure; unchaste; lascivious; immoral. -- Li*cen"tious*ly, adv. -- Li*cen"tious*ness, n.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

If you describe a person as licentious, you mean that they are very immoral, especially in their sexual behaviour. (FORMAL) ...alarming stories of licentious behaviour. ADJ [disapproval] • licentiousness ...moral licentiousness.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Unrestrained, riotous, uncurbed, wanton, uncontrolled, unruly, ungovernable, disorderly. 2. Dissolute, debauched, profligate, rakish, libertine, loose, lax. 3. Sensual, unchaste, immoral, impure, libertine, lascivious, lewd, libidinous, lecherous, lustful.

Moby Thesaurus

abandoned, amoral, animal, carnal, corrupt, debauched, depraved, disobedient, dissipated, dissolute, fast, fleshly, free, free-living, gallant, gay, go-go, headstrong, heady, high-living, hubristic, immoderate, immoral, incontinent, indulgent, insubordinate, intemperate, irrepressible, irresponsible, lascivious, lawless, lax, lecherous, lewd, libertine, libidinous, loose, lustful, mutinous, nonrestrictive, out of control, out of hand, oversexed, permissive, presuming, presumptuous, profligate, rakehell, rakehellish, rakehelly, rakish, rampant, randy, reinless, relaxed, reprobate, riotous, salacious, satyric, scabrous, self-willed, sensual, unaccountable, unbridled, unchecked, uncoerced, uncompelled, unconstrained, uncontrolled, uncurbed, undisciplined, unforced, ungoverned, uninhibited, unmastered, unmeasured, unmoral, unmuzzled, unprincipled, unreined, unrepressed, unreserved, unrestrained, unrestrictive, unruly, unsubdued, unsuppressed, wanton, wild, wildcat, willful