lechery

IPA/ˈletʃəri/
IPA/ˈletʃəri/

lechery — noun

1. a strong and uncontrolled desire for sexual activity, especially when a person c

1.nounC2
Definition

a strong and uncontrolled desire for sexual activity, especially when a person cares only about their own pleasure and offends others

Example

The old king's lechery was well known among the servants at the palace.

Vivek refused to watch the film because of its celebration of violence and lechery.

co-occurrence with 'violence' in disapproving contexts

Common collocations
  • habit of lechery
  • lechery toward someone
  • lechery + reputation
  • violence and lechery
  • a life of lechery
Synonyms
  • lust

    focuses more on the inner feeling or desire; lechery emphasizes outward behaviour

  • lewdness

    refers specifically to crude or offensive sexual acts or talk; lechery is broader in scope

  • debauchery

    implies excessive pleasure in many forms (drink, sex, gambling); lechery is purely sexual

  • lasciviousness

    more formal, describes a quality or tendency; lechery suggests a habitual pattern

Antonyms
  • chastity

    the state of not having sex or having it only within marriage

  • purity

    suggests moral innocence and restraint

Usage Note

Used disapprovingly, mainly in formal, literary, or historical contexts. The word is almost always applied to men and carries a strong moral judgment.

Common Mistakes

He is a lechery.
He is guilty of lechery.
Lechery is an uncountable noun, not a countable person. The adjective form is 'lecherous' (e.g., 'He is a lecherous man').

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe disapproved-of sexual behaviour or desire, but they differ in scope and emphasis. 'Lust' is the broadest term and refers primarily to strong sexual desire as a feeling, while 'lechery' focuses on habitual behaviour that offends others. 'Lewdness' is narrower, describing crude or vulgar sexual acts or language rather than a general pattern of behaviour. 'Debauchery' goes beyond sex to include excessive drinking, drug use, and other forms of overindulgence. 'Lasciviousness' is the most formal and literary of the four, often used to describe a person's character or appearance rather than their actions. For example: people say 'the emperor's lechery destroyed his marriage' (habit), but 'a lascivious grin' (a look), 'a night of debauchery' (wild partying), and 'lewd jokes' (crude humour).

lust ↗lewdness ↗debauchery ↗lasciviousness

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a life of lechery
  • a warning against lechery

Prepositions

Etymology

Germanic (Frankish)Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Lechery comes from Old French 'lecherie', meaning gluttony or sensuality, which in turn comes from the Frankish word '*likkōn' meaning 'to lick'. In Middle English, its meaning shifted from overindulgence in food to overindulgence in sexual pleasure.

First known use

13th century

13th century, in the meaning defined above