Sexy is most commonly used to describe someone considered sexually attractive, but it gets used in all kinds of other ways.
sexually attractive When you describe a person as
sexy, it often suggests that you are sexually attracted to them. A very similar term for this sense of the word is
hot, which is very informal and, like
sexy, can be objectifying. A perhaps more tasteful way of saying this is simply
attractive. Words like
gorgeous,
beautiful, good-looking, and
pretty are all used in reference to looks but are less directly tied to sex. All of these words, including
sexy, can be used to simply imply that you think a person looks good (as opposed to implying that you find them sexually attractive), like when you say that your friend looks
sexy as a compliment. A word that accomplishes the same thing but is less focused on physical appearance is
fierce. You could also just say, “You look great!”
Sexy most often relates to a person’s physical appearance, but this is not always the case. A person may be considered
sexy for many other reasons, such as their sense of humor or interests. The word
attractive is also commonly used to indicate this, as in
I find men with good taste in books very attractive. sexually appealing Sometimes, the word is used to describe something that’s thought to be sexually appealing—by making someone more sexually attractive, as in a
sexy accent or
I want to find a sexy dress for the wedding. In the case of the dress, the word
flirty can mean about the same thing. A more intense version is
seductive. sexually stimulating The sense of
sexy that means “sexually stimulating” is often applied to media, like books and movies, that contain sexual elements intended to be stimulating, especially as their primary focus. Many of the synonyms for this sense of
sexy are a bit
euphemistic, meaning they’re intended to be a bit softer or less direct. These include
racy, risqué, steamy, sensual, and
titillating. Something that deals with sexual elements somewhat indirectly—such as through
innuendos—can be called
sexually suggestive. Other words carry a tone of judgment, indicating that such things are offensive or inappropriate, including
lewd and
vulgar. The word
dirty can be used in this negative way or in a more playful way that’s essentially a euphemism despite its generally negative connotation, as in
dirty magazines. Sometimes, this use of
sexy is pretty literal—saying that someone sent you
sexy texts typically means the texts had some form of sexual content. The word
sexual can be used to mean the same thing, but it’s typically used in a broader and more neutral way to mean “involving or related to sex,” as in
sexual content or
sexual orientation. exciting or flashy The word
sexy is also commonly used in a kind of
figurative way to describe things that are
exciting in some way, as in
It’s hard to get people to pay attention to campaign finance reform because it’s not a sexy topic, but it’s very important. Similar words include
compelling, engaging, and
interesting. This sense of
sexy is usually used in negative contexts (when describing things that are specifically
not sexy in this way), but not always. Cars are often described or advertised as
sexy, for example. Descriptive words that suggest something similar include
flashy and
fancy.
Sexiness is the quality of being
sexy: sexually attractive, sexually appealing, or interesting and exciting. Most commonly,
sexiness is used in the same way as
attractiveness, especially in reference to a person’s looks. Saying that a person
exudes sexiness is similar to saying they have
sex appeal. These descriptions are often applied to movie stars in the context of their on-screen attractiveness. The words
allure and
charisma can achieve the same meaning without referencing looks or sex. When
sexiness is applied to media like books or movies, the word
sensuality can be used in the same way. The word
sexuality can be used in a similar way, but it’s usually used more broadly in reference to sexual identity or sexual expression.
