prurience

noun

pru·​ri·​ence ˈpru̇r-ē-ən(t)s How to pronounce prurience (audio)
Synonyms of pruriencenext
: the quality or state of being prurient

Examples of prurience in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But there is more than prurience or even provocation at work here. — Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023 Their psychic life is not pried with pity or prurience; their paralysis or tragic humility is not mined for metaphor. — Seyward Darby, Longreads, 16 July 2024 Were the photographs made for prurience, to objectify the victims, or to blackmail the guilty? — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026 A far cry from Salò, or films dominated by prurience, this movie, and these three lovers, are having a torrid affair with art, politics, and society’s mores—their own little revolution amidst a real one. — John Ortved, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for prurience

Word History

First Known Use

1781, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of prurience was in 1781

Browse Nearby Words

prunus
prurience
pruriency
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prurience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prurience. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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