lecher

IPA/ˈletʃə(r)/
KK[lˈɛtʃɚ]IPA/ˈletʃər/

lecher — noun

  • lechersingular
  • lechersplural

1. a man who keeps giving other people unwanted sexual attention and making them fe

1.nounC2
Definition

a man who keeps giving other people unwanted sexual attention and making them feel uncomfortable.

Example

Everyone in the office called the manager a lecher after his dirty comments.

call someone a lecher

The old lecher kept staring at Layla while she waited for the bus.

common phrase: old lecher

Common collocations
  • dirty old lecher
  • call someone a lecher
  • act like a lecher
Synonyms
  • creep

    more everyday and broader; it can describe someone unsettling even without obvious sexual behavior

  • womanizer

    focuses on chasing many women, but it does not always suggest the same dirty or offensive behavior

  • pervert

    much stronger and harsher; it suggests shocking or abnormal sexual behavior

  • letch

    very similar in meaning, but usually even more informal

Grammar Patterns

call someone a lecher

an old lecher

Usage Note

Strongly disapproving and slightly old-fashioned. It is usually used about a man whose staring, comments, or touching feel dirty and unwanted, not about ordinary romantic interest.

Common Mistakes

Ethan is a lecher because he asked Nora on a date.
Ethan is a lecher because he kept touching Nora and making sexual jokes.
a lecher does more than show ordinary attraction; the behavior is dirty and unwanted.
The article called the actress a lecher.
The article called the actor a lecher.
this word is usually used about a man whose sexual behavior makes other people uncomfortable.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Lecher, creep, womanizer, and pervert can all describe sexual behavior that feels bad, but they are not interchangeable. Creep is the most everyday and widest word: it can describe anyone who makes other people feel uneasy, even without open sexual comments. Womanizer focuses on a man who chases many women, but it does not always carry the same dirty, offensive tone. Pervert is much stronger and suggests shocking or abnormal sexual behavior. Lecher sits between them: it is an old-fashioned, strongly disapproving word for a man who stares, comments, or touches in a nasty way. A boss who keeps making sexual jokes may be a lecher, while a stranger who scares everyone on the train is more likely a creep.

lecher ↗creep ↗womanizer ↗pervert

Common collocations

Phrases

  • call someone a lecher
  • dirty old lecher

Etymology

Old FrenchEnglish

Lecher came into English from Old French in the Middle Ages. The same word family also gave English lechery and lecherous, all carrying the idea of uncontrolled sexual desire and behavior that other people judge as dirty or shameful. English has kept that strongly critical tone, so lecher still sounds like a moral judgment rather than a neutral description of attraction.