licentious

L1I1C3E1N1T1I1O1U1S1
/laɪˈsɛn.ʃəs/

adjective

Lacking restraint, or ignoring societal standards, particularly in sexual conduct; sexually unprincipled.

Similar
unchaste
OriginLatin licentiōsus →
UncommonScrabble 12
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

adjectivelicentious (comparative more licentious, superlative most licentious)

comparative more licentious · superlative most licentious · alternative licentuous

  1. Lacking restraint, or ignoring societal standards, particularly in sexual conduct; sexually unprincipled.

    His eyes trailed over her feline pose on the sofa, finding her limbs adorable while he tried exasperatedly to extract the truth of licentious revelations from them.

    1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 228
  2. Disregarding accepted rules.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivelacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained

Similar
unchaste
Also see
abandonedbadcommondebauchedharlotimmoralimpureithyphallicliberallibidinousnaughtyobsceneprofligatepromiscuousreprobateunchasteunethicalunprincipled

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinlicentiōsus
  2. Englishlicentious

From Latin licentiōsus, from licentia (“license, freedom”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans losbandig
  • losbandiglacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
Ancient Greek ἀσελγής
  • ἀσελγής (aselgḗs)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
Arabic إِبَاحِيّ
  • إِبَاحِيّ (ʔibāḥiyy)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
Bulgarian разпуснат, разгулен
  • разпуснат (razpusnat)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • разгулен (razgulen)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • разюздан (razjuzdan)disregarding accepted rules
  • непокорен (nepokoren)disregarding accepted rules
  • разхайтен (razhajten)disregarding accepted rules
Catalan llicenciós
  • llicenciósdisregarding accepted rules
Danish hæmningsløs, utøjlet
  • hæmningsløslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • utøjletlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • tøjlesløslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • oprørskdisregarding accepted rules
  • egenrådigdisregarding accepted rules
Dutch wellustig, wulps
  • wellustiglacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • wulpslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • licentieuslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • libertijnslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • losbandiglacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • non-conformistischdisregarding accepted rules
  • vrijgevochtendisregarding accepted rules
  • losbandigdisregarding accepted rules
Esperanto senbrida
  • senbridadisregarding accepted rules
Finnish siveetön, rietas
  • siveetönlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • rietaslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • estotonlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • epäsiveellinenlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • räävitönlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • hillitönlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • irstaslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • vallatondisregarding accepted rules
  • pidäkkeetöndisregarding accepted rules
  • estotondisregarding accepted rules
  • räävitöndisregarding accepted rules
  • hillitöndisregarding accepted rules
French voluptueux, leste
  • voluptueuxlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • lestelacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • libertinlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • polissonlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • licencieuxdisregarding accepted rules
German hemmungslos, zügellos
  • hemmungsloslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • zügelloslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • unzüchtiglacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • ausschweifendlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • regellosdisregarding accepted rules
  • willkürlichdisregarding accepted rules
  • unorthodoxdisregarding accepted rules
  • ungehörigdisregarding accepted rules
  • ungebührlichdisregarding accepted rules
  • sittenwidrigdisregarding accepted rules
Greek ακόλαστος, ελευθέριος
  • ακόλαστος (akólastos)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • ελευθέριος (elefthérios)disregarding accepted rules
Hebrew הוֹלֵל
  • הוֹלֵל (holél)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
Hindi उच्छृंखल, व्यभिचारी
  • उच्छृंखल (ucchŕṅkhal)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • व्यभिचारी (vyabhicārī)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • निर्लज्ज (nirlajj)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • स्वैरचारी (svaircārī)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • लंपट (lampaṭ)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • कामी (kāmī)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • पतित (patit)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • अनैतिक (anaitik)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • मनमाना (manmānā)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • बेलगाम (belgām)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
Hungarian szabados, kicsapongó
  • szabadoslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • kicsapongólacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • ledérlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
Irish ainrianta, drabhlásach
  • ainriantalacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • drabhlásachlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • ainriantadisregarding accepted rules
Italian licenzioso, dissoluto
  • licenziosolacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • dissolutolacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • libertinolacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • impudicolacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • lascivolacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • boccaccescolacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • scostumatolacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • licenziosodisregarding accepted rules
Japanese 猥褻な, 如何わしい
  • 猥褻な (waisetsu na)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • 如何わしい (ikagawashii)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • 淫逸な (in'itsu na)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • 淫乱な (inran na)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • 破格の (hakaku-no)disregarding accepted rules
Korean 음란하다, 방자한
  • 음란하다 (eumnanhada)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • 방자한 (bangjahan)disregarding accepted rules
Latin licens, licentiosus
  • licenslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • licentiosuslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • intemperānslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • lascīvuslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • libīdinōsuslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • luxuriansdisregarding accepted rules
Polish wszeteczny, rozpustny
  • wszetecznylacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • rozpustnylacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • rozwiązłylacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
Portuguese licencioso, libertino
  • licenciosolacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • libertinolacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • devassolacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • impudicolacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • lascivolacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • libidinosolacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • licenciosodisregarding accepted rules
  • atrevidodisregarding accepted rules
  • indisciplinadodisregarding accepted rules
  • insolentedisregarding accepted rules
Romanian licențios, licențios
  • licențioslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • licențiosdisregarding accepted rules
Russian безнра́вственный, распу́щенный
  • безнра́вственный (beznrávstvennyj)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • распу́щенный (raspúščennyj)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • развра́тный (razvrátnyj)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • блудный (bludnyj)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • во́льный (vólʹnyj)disregarding accepted rules
Scottish Gaelic drùiseach
  • drùiseachlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
Spanish licencioso, disoluto
  • licenciosolacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • disolutolacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
Swedish lössläppt
  • lössläpptlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
Tagalog haliparót, malanyâ
  • haliparótlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • malanyâlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • talipandáslacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • talipandásdisregarding accepted rules
Ukrainian розпусний, розкутий
  • розпусний (rozpusnyj)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • розкутий (rozkutyj)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • розгульний (rozhulʹnyj)lacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • вільний (vilʹnyj)disregarding accepted rules
Vietnamese trai lơ, phong lưu
  • trai lơlacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct
  • phong lưulacking restraint, particularly in sexual conduct

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with licentious

contentiouspretentioussententiousabstentiousadventiousdissentioussilentious
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

licentious. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/licentious

MLA

“licentious.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/licentious. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “licentious,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/licentious.

Source: licentious on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.