Meanings
plural lewdnesses
- countableuncountableThe quality, state or instance of being lewd; promiscuous.
Sir, Lord Hailes has forgot. There is nothing in Pryor that will excite to lewdness.
1816 [1777], James Boswell, quoting Samuel Johnson, The life of Samuel Johnson […] , volume 3, T. Cadell and W. Davies, pages 210–2111 more example
Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdnesse of thy youth, in bruising thy teates by the Egyptians, for the paps of thy youth.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ezekiel 23:21
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe trait of behaving in an obscene manner
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishlewednesse
- Englishlewdness
From Middle English lewednesse, equivalent to lewd + -ness.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic شَبَق
- شَبَق (šabaq)promiscuity
Czech oplzlost, obscénnost
- oplzlostpromiscuity
- obscénnostpromiscuity
- lascivnostpromiscuity
Dutch ontucht, obsceniteit
- ontuchtpromiscuity
- obsceniteitpromiscuity
German Anzüglichkeit
- Anzüglichkeitpromiscuity
Hebrew זִמָּה
- זִמָּה (zimmá)promiscuity
Māori tīwekatanga
- tīwekatangapromiscuity
Russian по́хоть, похотли́вость
- по́хоть (póxotʹ)promiscuity
- похотли́вость (poxotlívostʹ)promiscuity
- распу́тность (raspútnostʹ)promiscuity
Swahili uasherati
- uasheratipromiscuity
Swedish oanständighet
- oanständighetpromiscuity
Cite this entry
lewdness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lewdness
“lewdness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lewdness. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lewdness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lewdness.
Source: lewdness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.