Word
erotica
Phoneticserot·i·ca
US/ɪˈɹɑtɪkə/
UK/ɪɹˈɒtɪkɐ/
Definition
n. books, art, or films that show sexual themes in a way that is meant to be artistic or high-quality.
n. literature or art intended to arouse sexual desire, often characterized by aesthetic or narrative complexity. Uncountable in its collective sense.
Examples
“The bookstore has a small section dedicated to classic erotica.”
“Critics debated whether the film should be classified as high-brow erotica or mere exploitation.”
“The collection explores the history of Victorian erotica, revealing how underground publications challenged the rigid social and moral codes of the nineteenth century.”
Examples
simple
“The bookstore has a small section dedicated to classic erotica.”
contextual
“Critics debated whether the film should be classified as high-brow erotica or mere exploitation.”
complex
“The collection explores the history of Victorian erotica, revealing how underground publications challenged the rigid social and moral codes of the nineteenth century.”
Usage
Usually treated as an uncountable collective noun, though it can occasionally refer to a specific work.
Real-World Examples
“Photograph: Novig Sweeney’s facial expressions are like a WikiHow gallery, “how to: soft-porn” – they often feel quite old-fashioned, pert or faux naive, more like 70s graphic novel erotica than modern, up-to-the-minute pornography.” Etymology
From neuter plural of Latin eroticus (“amatory”), from Ancient Greek ἐρωτικός (erōtikós). By surface analysis, erotic + -ica.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/erotica