# pornography

/pɔɹˈnɑɡɹəfi/ (US) · /pɔːnˈɒɡɹəfi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pornography
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. sexual material

noun · CEFR B2

books, videos, or images that show sexual acts in a very clear and direct way.

For teachers: 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.

### 2. highly visual media

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Humorous

beautiful or detailed pictures of things you love, like food or houses, that are very satisfying to look at.

For teachers: 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.

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.

## Examples

- The website has strict rules against posting pornography.
- The government debated new laws to restrict the access of minors to pornography on the internet.
- Legal scholars often struggle to define pornography with precision, famously resulting in the 'I know it when I see it' standard for identifying obscene material.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.