Word
horny
US/ˈhɔɹni/
UK/hˈɔːni/
Definitions
01sexually aroused
B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal · Slang
adj. feeling a strong sexual desire or attraction.
adj. feeling or showing sexual excitement or arousal. Highly informal and potentially inappropriate in professional or polite social settings.
“He joked that watching romantic movies always made him feel a bit horny.”
“The protagonist's motivations are driven by a constant, almost adolescent state of being horny, which complicates his professional relationships throughout the novel.”
Usage
Usually follows a linking verb like 'feel' or 'get'.
Teaching tip
While common in casual speech and media, this word is considered crude by many; students should use 'attracted' or 'aroused' in more formal contexts.
02like a horn
C1 · Advanced Science Technical
adj. hard and tough, like the material of an animal's horn.
adj. consisting of or resembling horn; having a hard, callous, or bony texture.
Español:córneo
“The worker had developed thick, horny skin on his hands from years of manual labour.”
“The specimen was identified by its horny outer shell, which provided significant protection against predators in its natural habitat.”
Usage
Often used in biological or medical descriptions of skin and shells.
Teaching tip
In modern English, this literal sense is rare outside of technical biology or medicine; most speakers will immediately think of the sexual sense.
03having horns
C2 · Proficiency Literary · Archaic
adj. having horns on the head.
adj. bearing horns or horn-like projections.
“The ancient statue depicted a horny god with the head of a goat.”
“The naturalist noted the presence of several horny protrusions along the spine of the lizard, a feature unique to this subspecies.”
Usage
Modern speakers almost exclusively use 'horned' for this meaning to avoid confusion.
Teaching tip
Advise students to use 'horned' instead of 'horny' when describing animals to avoid accidental humor.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“It’s all based on third-party agencies that manage OnlyFans accounts, interacting with users, creating fictional relationships that horny guys spend thousands on.” “She is also horny and desperately infatuated with a white boy, Connor.” Etymology
From Middle English horny, equivalent to horn + -y. Compare German hornig. Compare also Dutch hoornachtig, Swedish hornaktig, Old English hyrniġ (“angular”). Piecewise doublet of corny.
From the horn (“an erect penis”) + -y (“having the quality of”). The adjective originally meant "erect", but was later was broadened to refer not only to sexual arousal but also to sexual desire in general.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/horny
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0