Word
pornography
Phoneticspornog·ra·phy
US/pɔɹˈnɑɡɹəfi/
UK/pɔːnˈɒɡɹəfi/
Definitions
01sexual material
n. books, videos, or images that show sexual acts in a very clear and direct way.
n. the explicit depiction of sexual subject matter in various media, typically intended to stimulate erotic interest.
“The government introduced new laws to control the sale of pornography online.”
“The legal definition of pornography varies significantly across jurisdictions, often hinging on whether the material is deemed to have any redeeming artistic or social value.”
Usage
uncountable in most contexts.
02highly visual media
n. beautiful or detailed pictures of things you love, like food or houses, that are very satisfying to look at.
n. the depiction of non-sexual subject matter in a highly aestheticised or detailed manner that elicits intense pleasure or desire.
“I spent all evening looking at food pornography on social media instead of cooking.”
“The magazine is essentially real estate pornography, featuring glossy, multi-page spreads of mansions that the average reader could never afford to buy.”
Informal · Humorous
Usage
frequently used as a suffix in compound words like 'food porn' or 'real estate porn'.
Teaching tip
This sense is very common in modern social media contexts to describe high-quality photography of hobbies.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Alongside pornography, the other big revenue stream for Hollywood mobsters was cocaine, which became the drug de rigueur of the town’s elite.” “Lewis spent three years from 1986 vigorously lobbying BT to ban chat lines, warning of the danger of children becoming addicted to pornography.” “A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "It is troubling to hear accounts of individuals becoming addicted to pornography at such a young age.” Etymology
From French pornographie, from Ancient Greek πορνογράφος (pornográphos), from πορνεία (porneía, “fornication, prostitution”) + γράφω (gráphō, “I depict”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Related words
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englishreference.com/q/pornography