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Kevin
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June 7, 2023
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Common Questions
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If you’re familiar with the Seven Deadly Sins, you’ve likely come across the lust before — but what does lust mean? We’ll tell you.
This article explores the word lust to uncover its definition, origin, synonyms, and more. So if you’ve ever been curious about lust — keep reading. Here’s our complete guide on the word lust.
What Is the Definition of Lust?
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, lust (lʌst) is a strong sexual desire. It doesn’t necessarily have to be regarding something sexual, as the word lust can also refer to an overwhelming craving or intense eagerness.
In other words, the term lust is simply a passionate desire for something.
What Is the Etymology of Lust?
Our word of the day derives from Old English lust (meaning “desire,” “appetite,” “inclination,” “pleasure,” or “sensuous appetite”), which comes from Proto-Germanic lustuz (meaning “pleasure” or “desire”).
What Are the Other Seven Deadly Sins?
As mentioned earlier, lust is one of the seven deadly sins — here are the others:
- Gluttony (Latin gula) — Thoughtless waste, overindulgence, a refusal to share, or destruction for sport are all attributes associated with the sin of gluttony.
- Sloth (Latin acedia) — Laziness, cowardice, apathy, indifference, abandonment, and responsibility are key attributes to the sin of sloth.
- Avarice (Latin avaritia) — Avarice, or the sin of greed, is associated with a strong desire to gain (chiefly power or money) by any means necessary, even treason, disloyalty, and deliberate betrayal.
- Wrath (Latin ira) — Wrath, also known as the root of assault and murder, is a sin based upon anger, hatred, self-righteousness, and the desire to harm others.
- Envy (Latin invidia) — The root of self-loathing and theft, envy is also tied to feelings of resentment, jealousy, and spite.
- Pride (Latin superbia) — The sin of pride is often associated with a strong desire to be more attractive or more important than others around you.
What Are the Synonyms and Antonyms of Lust?
If you’re on a mission to increase your existing English vocabulary, opening a thesaurus to learn synonyms and antonyms is surely one way to do it — that said, what are synonyms and antonyms?
Synonyms refer to words or phrases that have the same or similar meaning to another word. On the other hand, antonyms are words or phrases that mean the exact opposite of another word or phrase. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the synonyms and antonyms of lust.
Synonyms of Lust
- Concupiscence
- Sexual passion
- Salaciousness
- Desire
- Lecherousness
- Sexual longing
- The hots
- Randiness
- Biological urge
- Ardency
- Keenness
- Enthusiasm
- Hanker after
- Sexual appetite
- Have the hots for
- Hunger
- Thirst after
- Find sexually attractive
- Lechery
- Lasciviousness
- Sex drive
- Aphrodisia
- Pruriency
- Sexual desire
- Zeal
- Thirst for
- Be hot for
- Wholeheartedness
- Eagerness
- Intense sexual desire
- Fervor
- Self-indulgence
- Debauchery
- Be wild about
- Vice
- Libertinism
- Have an eye for
- Sin
- Devotion
- Take a liking to
Antonyms of Lust
- Chastity
- Discouragement
- Abhorrence
- Peacefulness
- Satisfaction
- Disinterest
- Apathy
- Aversion
- Purity
- Order
- Modesty
- Morality
- Sobriety
- Frigidity
- Cowardice
- Thanatos
- Virtue
- Care
- Ease
- Joy
- Endurance
- Restraint
How Can You Use Lust in a Sentence?
By now, you likely understand that lust is a psychological force that produces an intense desire Now let’s learn how to use our word of the day in a sentence. We’ve compiled a list of example sentences for you to study below:
“Shelby was consumed by her lust for power; she could not think clearly or make a single rational decision.”
“Is there a difference between love and lust?”
“After surviving a heart attack, Danny had a new lust for life and has really made changes to better his overall health.”
“Johnny has been lusting after Boyd’s job for years, even attempting to sabotage his status on occasion.”
“After enjoying a nice meal, her boyfriend gazed at her sexually and clearly lusted for her touch.”
“After getting a small taste of being a manager, it didn’t take long for Mark to lust for power over his fellow colleagues.”
“Despite my lusy for chocolate, I decided to stick to my diet and skipped the candy store on my way home from work.”
“The vampire’s bloodlust was unmistakable.”
“Did you know that in Judaism, all evil inclinations and lusts of the flesh are characterized by Yetzer Hara?”
“Some people lust for sex, but I lust for chocolate. ”
“Kira was consumed by lust and her infatuation with power.”
What Are Translations of Lust?
Seeing as the word lust has been around for quite some time, it’s no surprise that there are a number of ways to say it. Some of the most common translations of lust include:
- American English — lust
- European Spanish — lujuria
- Finnish — himo
- Catalan — luxúria
- Japanese — 肉欲
- French — désir
- European Portuguese — luxúria, lascívia, desejo (masculine)
- Romanian — voluptate
- Russian — вожделение
- Spanish — lujuria
- Swedish — åtrå
- Thai — ตัณหา
- Turkish — şehvet
- Ukrainian — хтивість
- Vietnamese — sự thèm muốn
- Brazilian Portuguese — desejo sexual
- Chinese — 色欲
- Croatian — požuda
- Czech — chtíč
- Danish — lyst
- Dutch — sterk verlangen
- German — lust
- Greek — λαγνεία
- British English — lust
- Japanese — 性欲
- Korean — 정욕
- Norwegian — lyst
- Polish — pożądanie
- Arabic — رَغْبَةٌ جِنْسَيَةٌ
- Italian — lussuria
Bottom Line
So, what does the word lust mean?
Simply put, lust is a very strong desire to have something, usually power, greed, sex, or money. It is also one of the Seven Deadly Sins and refers to a man who uses his body for lechery wrongs.
Sources:
Lust definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
