When you’re creating a specific mood with your writing, every word has to earn its place.
If the mood is sexy (and yes, that’s an option), it can’t hurt to have a sexually suggestive words list on hand.
In fact, we highly recommend the judicious use of carefully chosen erotic words to create an atmosphere with your writing — to set the scene.
You want the mood to enter your reader’s consciousness without overwhelming them.
What Is the Sexiest Word in the English Language?
The sexiest word in the English language is not “yes,” though that is often the goal. The word that takes the crown is “no,” making the “yes” worth more.
Think of how the following phrases make you all the more curious about something:
- “Not for <fill in the blank with a broad demographic like “women,” “kids,” or “most people”>”
- “Limited edition”
- “Exclusive”
- “Restricted access”
- “Invitation only”
All of these imply that many—even most—will hear the word, “Sorry, no, this isn’t for you,” or “You’re not on the list.”
When even celebrities are turned away disappointed, the value of the thing they’re not able to get rises to the stratosphere.
Say “no,” to someone who’s used to hearing “yes,” and suddenly, it’s a “must-have.”
55 of the Sexiest Words to Add Some Racy to Your Writing
Welcome to the sexiest words list — with 55 suggestive nouns and adjectives.
Related: 16 Best Self-Publishing Companies For Your Writing Business
Keep a copy for yourself (with Pocket or Evernote), and feel free to highlight the ones that stand out for you.
1. Alluring — Able to arouse desire in another; attractive; compelling
Example: She sauntered into the living room, wearing the dress, and gave me the most alluring wink and smile I’d ever seen.
2. Aphrodisiac — Able to awaken one’s sexual appetite
Example: As a surprise, he ordered her a birthday dessert well known as an aphrodisiac.
3. Arousing — Exciting in a sensual way; sexually provocative
Example: I’ve yet to find an author who could match her gift for building sexual tension. I read her novels in a near-constant state of arousal.
4. Bold — Daring or audacious in appearance or behavior
Example: She’s a bold one to wear an ensemble like that to work, but, then… with her, it kind of works.
5. Bodacious — bold; brazen; audacious; attractive; sexy
Example: You are, by far, the most bodacious queen I’ve ever laid eyes on.
6. Bawdy — Humorously or boisterously indecent or lewd
Example: I’m watching The Great, and the word bawdy is one of many adjectives I would use to describe it; another is brilliant.
7. Creamy — Having a smooth appearance or texture
Example: She savored the creamy dessert in a way that stirred his imagination.
8. Delicious — Highly or exceptionally pleasing to the senses—especially taste or smell
Example: No one could be more surprised than I was when the first word that came to mind at the sight of him—my oldest and most trusted friend—was “delicious.”
9. Desirable — Exciting a sudden and undeniable desire or longing
Example: She was mistaken in thinking no one in her small, isolated community found her desirable.
10. Dirty — Unclean or soiled; impure
Example: Don’t ask me to say whatever’s on my mind. My thoughts are too dirty to articulate in front of my parents.
11. Disheveled — Mussed up (hair); tousled;
Example; Her disheveled hair unraveled what little remained of my self-control.
12. Erogenous — Particularly sensitive to arousal or excitation
Example: His knowledge of erogenous zones did him credit; I forgot everything else within seconds.
13. Erotic / Eroticism — Appealing to sexual interest; arousing
Example: She had an encyclopedic knowledge of all things erotic, which she put to excellent use in her novel writing.
14. Exciting — Stimulating or rousing into action or readiness
Example: His speech proved more exciting than either of us had anticipated.
15. Flirty / Flirtatious — Playful in a way that implies sexual attraction
Example: No one would describe his body language toward her as flirtatious, but she evidently saw something no one else did.
16. Hot — Giving off or transferring a high degree of heat through touch or proximity
Example, I never really thought of him as hot until he unexpectedly showed up that evening and greeted me with a smile that liquefied my insides.
17. Improper —The opposite of proper; violating conventional mores
Example: Improper though it was, we enjoyed every second of it.
18. Indecent — Offensive to accepted standards of modesty or decency
Example: The outfit she wore to her cousin’s funeral bordered on indecent, but she swore she was honoring a personal request–the details of which she kept to herself.
19. Insatiable — Unable or unlikely to be satiated or satisfied
Example: Once they finally found each other, the two were insatiable. And the walls were thin.
20. Intimate — Having a deeply emotional, spiritual, or physical connection
Example: We had an intimate evening together, and for the first time, I felt that he really knew me–and loved all of me, not just the parts he could use.
21. Kissable — Describing someone—or someone’s mouth—the speaker feels compelled to kiss
Example: I could watch his kissable face for hours, but I can’t guarantee I’ll hear anything over my inappropriate thoughts.
22. Lascivious — Wanton; lustful; lewd; lecherous
Example: He walked right up to her with a lascivious grin on his impeccably groomed face.
23. Libidinous — Having or exhibiting a robust libido or lustful desires
Example: Women of my age and marital status aren’t supposed to be libidinous, but here we are.
24. Lubricious —Having or exhibiting sexual desire; sexually stimulating; smooth or slippery
Example: She used the word “lubricious” once to describe him, and I’ve hated that word ever since.
25. Luscious — Exciting one’s sense of hunger or thirst; delicious
Example: One look at that luscious mouth, and I forget everything but wanting to be close enough for a kiss.
26. Lust — Intense sexual interest; arousal; feeling of sexual hunger for someone
Example: I knew lust when I felt it, though I hadn’t felt it for years. He reminded me.
27. Naughty — Transgressing social norms or rules for behavior; rebellious
Example: I didn’t think she was capable of being naughty until I found myself alone with her.
28. Nubile — Sexually mature or of an age suitable for marriage
Example: He and his wife moved into the neighborhood with their three nubile daughters.
29. Passion / Passionate — Passion wakes up the senses, particularly those related to love, lust, and hunger
Example: We get along well, but there’s no passion in our marriage. I think there used to be, but I don’t remember.
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30. Pleasure / Pleasurable — Something that appeals to the senses and is enjoyable
Example: He takes more pleasure in her company than he does in anything else.
31. Plunging — Diving or implying a precipitous, downward motion (or drop in focal point)
Example: Her new dress has a thigh-high slit and a plunging neckline.
32. Pursue / Pursuit — to follow in order to capture, overtake, or seduce
Example: She entered the room, and, within seconds, he was in pursuit.
33. Promiscuous — Having multiple transient sexual relationships
Example: I’m called promiscuous (or worse), while he gets compliments and pats on the back.
34. Prurient —Appealing to or arousing an over-the-top interest in sex
Example: She writes novels of a prurient nature, using a pseudonym to shield her disapproving relatives from awkward questions.
35. Ravishing — Extremely attractive or overpowering in appearance
Example: To say you look ravishing is a hint at what I’m thinking right now. I’m all yours.
36. Rough — Course or stubbly to the touch; the opposite of smooth or easy
Example: He cleans up nice, but, it turns out, his rough, unshaven morning face plus the smell of campfire smoke in his clothes is like catnip to her.
37. Salacious — Stimulating or appealing to sexual desire
Example: The salacious details of their weekend together would light the entire neighborhood on fire.
38. Seductive — Exciting lust or sexual desire; appealing to one’s sexual proclivities
Example: She wore her most seductive dress, paired with her favorite stilettos, and sauntered down the hall to his office door.
39. Sensual — Sexually attractive or gratifying to the senses; preoccupied with gratification of the senses
Example: She’s a sensual person, which gets her in trouble sometimes. It’s why she teaches self-defense classes.
40. Sensuous — Synonym for sensual; affecting or gratifying the senses
Example: She wears only sensuous fabrics, her favorites being silk and cashmere.
41. Silky — Made of or resembling silk; smooth and lustrous
Example: Her silky hair and luminous skin called out to me. I waited until we were alone to ask if I might touch her cheek and leave her with a kiss.
42. Slinky — Sleek, sinuous, or graceful; figure-skimming
Example: Her slinky dress moved with her and reflected the light as she walked.
43. Spicy — Having the flavor, scent, or heat of spices; zesty; producing or abounding in heat
Example: From her usual demeanor, no one would guess how spicy her writing could be.
44. Steamy — Erotic; emitting steam; hot and humid
Example: In her opinion, no romance novel was complete without several steamy love scenes.
45. Sultry — Torrid; expressing sexual desire; hot and humid
Example: Her outfit was the perfect compliment to her sultry mood. He was there for both.
46. Stimulating — Quickening to the senses; exciting or arousing
Example: He knew exactly what he was stimulating, and she trusted him enough to surrender to it.
47. Tantalizing — Tempting or teasing but just beyond reach; arousing desire or expectation
Example: She wore a smile as tantalizing as her outfit, which I hoped she was wearing just for me.
48. Tempting — Teasing or tantalizing; arousing desire and pushing the limits of self-control
Example: What I found most tempting walked in just then and smiled when our eyes met.
49. Thirsty — Feeling a need for something that hydrates or quenches heat
Example: I get thirsty just looking at him, though it makes no sense.
50. Thrusting — Pushing with force or urgency to penetrate or drive something home
Example: All this talk of thrusting is making it very hard to get any serious work done.
51. Titillating — Erotically exciting; tickling or tingling; lightly touching in an erotic way
Example: The way his warm fingers briefly touched the back of her neck when fastening the clasp felt more titillating than she dared acknowledge. She would think about it later.
52. Tussle — To struggle roughly or engage in a playful scuffle
Example: What began as sparring between them became a tussle on the floor, which both seemed to enjoy, but which their respective dates did not.
53. Voluptuous — Sensuous; curvaceous; providing or indulging in sensual pleasure
Example: Her voluptuous figure made the most of the dress’s flirtatious design. Every woman in the room dazzled, but to him, she was the main attraction.
54. Willing — Ready to acquiesce; showing an inclination to say “yes” in word or action
Example: He was a willing participant in her game, and she found she was mistaken to think she was the one in control—or that she wanted to be.
55. Yes — An affirmative answer to a request or directive
Example: She’d said “no” every time until now, and he saw her tongue move as if to repeat the word before it died on her lips. She gave a quiet “yes,” and the rest of the world disappeared.
Now that you have this list of 55 sexy words use as many of them as you like to sprinkle some spicy magic into your writing—especially if your current work in progress has an element of romance.
If reading through the list with their definitions and examples had the kind of effect you want your writing to have on your readers, we’d consider this post well worth the time spent.
Use this power for good.