Adjacent Words

Racy definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

RA'CY, a. [L. radix.]
Strong; flavorous; tasting of the soil; as racy cider; racy wine.
Rich racy verses, in which we the soil from which they come, taste, smell and see.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: full of zest or vigor; "a racy literary style" [syn: lively, racy]
2: marked by richness and fullness of flavor; "a rich ruby port"; "full-bodied wines"; "a robust claret"; "the robust flavor of fresh-brewed coffee" [syn: full-bodied, racy, rich, robust]
3: suggestive of sexual impropriety; "a blue movie"; "blue jokes"; "he skips asterisks and gives you the gamy details"; "a juicy scandal"; "a naughty wink"; "naughty words"; "racy anecdotes"; "a risque story"; "spicy gossip" [syn: blue, gamy, gamey, juicy, naughty, racy, risque, spicy]
4: designed or suitable for competing in a race

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective (racier; -est) Etymology: ³race Date: circa 1650 1. a. full of zest or vigor b. having a strongly marked quality ; piquant <a racy flavor> c. risque, suggestive <racy jokes> 2. having the distinctive quality of something in its original or most characteristic form Synonyms: see pungent • racily adverb • raciness noun II. adjective (racier; -est) Etymology: ¹race Date: 1841 having a body fitted for racing ; long-bodied and lean <a racy dog>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. (racier, raciest) 1 lively and vigorous in style. 2 risqué, suggestive. 3 having characteristic qualities in a high degree (a racy flavour). Derivatives: racily adv. raciness n. Etymology: RACE(2) + -Y(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Racy Ra"cy, a. [Compar. Racier; superl. Raciest.] [From Race a tribe, family.] 1. Having a strong flavor indicating origin; of distinct characteristic taste; tasting of the soil; hence, fresh; rich. The racy wine, Late from the mellowing cask restored to light. --Pope. 2. Hence: Exciting to the mental taste by a strong or distinctive character of thought or language; peculiar and piquant; fresh and lively. Our raciest, most idiomatic popular word. --M. Arnold. Burn's English, though not so racy as his Scotch, is generally correct. --H. Coleridge. The rich and racy humor of a natural converser fresh from the plow. --Prof. Wilson. Syn: Spicy; spirited; lively; smart; piquant. Usage: Racy, Spicy. Racy refers primarily to that peculiar flavor which certain wines are supposed to derive from the soil in which the grapes were grown; and hence we call a style or production racy when it ``smacks of the soil,'' or has an uncommon degree of natural freshness and distinctiveness of thought and language. Spicy, when applied, has reference to a spirit and pungency added by art, seasoning the matter like a condiment. It does not, like racy, suggest native peculiarity. A spicy article in a magazine; a spicy retort. Racy in conversation; a racy remark. Rich, racy verses, in which we The soil from which they come, taste, smell, and see. --Cowley.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(racier, raciest) Racy writing or behaviour is lively, amusing, and slightly shocking. ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. That tastes of the soil (as wine), of a peculiar flavor, pungent, flavorous, fine-flavored, rich, piquant, strong. 2. Strong (as peculiar qualities of thought or of expression), vigorous, forcible, of a distinctive character, spirited, pungent, piquant.

Moby Thesaurus

adult, animated, bawdy, blue, brisk, broad, buoyant, burning, coarse, crude, curried, dirty, dynamic, earthy, energetic, exciting, fiery, filthy, flavorful, fresh, full of beans, full of pep, gross, high-seasoned, hot, hot as pepper, immodest, indecent, indelicate, interesting, inviting, juicy, lewd, lively, lusty, mettlesome, naughty, nippy, obscene, off color, off-color, peppery, peppy, piquant, poignant, pornographic, provocative, provoking, pungent, purple, raunchy, readable, ribald, rich, risky, risque, rude, salacious, salty, savory, scabrous, seasoned, sexual, sexy, shady, sharp, smutty, snappy, sparkling, spiced, spicy, spirited, sprightly, stimulating, strong, succulent, suggestive, tangy, tantalizing, tart, tasty, thought-challenging, thought-inspiring, thought-provoking, tickling, titillating, vigorous, vivacious, vulgar, wicked, with a kick, zestful, zesty, zippy