voluptuous

English

Etymology

From Middle French voluptueux, from Latin voluptuosus (“delightful”), from voluptās (“pleasure, delight”), from volup (“with pleasure”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vəˈlʌp.t͡ʃu.əs/

  • Audio (RP):

    (file)

Adjective

voluptuous (comparative more voluptuous, superlative most voluptuous)

1. Suggestive of or characterized by full, generous, pleasurable sensation.

   The plentiful blankets and the voluptuous pillows of the bed called out to my tired body.

   • 1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC:

     Thus we lay, whilst a voluptuous languor possest, and still maintain'd us motionless and fast locked in one another's arms

2. (of a woman) Curvaceous and sexually attractive.
   • 2018, Nnedi Okorafor, Who Fears Death, HarperVoyager, page 35:

     She was very dark skinned and has a voluptuous figure that she showed off with her stylish purple dress.

   The low neckline of her bodice emphasised her plump, voluptuous figure.

Synonyms

• (pleasurable sensation): luxurious
• (curvaceous): See Thesaurus:voluptuous or Thesaurus:sexy

Derived terms

• voluptuously
• voluptuousness

Translations

suggestive of or characterized by full, generous, pleasurable sensation

• Bulgarian: чувствен (bg) (čuvstven), сладостра́стен (bg) (sladostrásten)
• Catalan: voluptuós
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 奢侈的 (zh) (shēchǐ de), 豪華的／豪华的 (zh), 豪华的 (zh) (háohuá de), 體態豐滿的／体态丰满的, 体态丰满的 (tǐtài fēngmǎn de)

• Danish: sanselig, vellystig
• Finnish: nautinnollinen (fi), aistillinen (fi), hekumallinen
• French: voluptueux (fr)
• Galician: voluptuoso m
• Georgian: ვნებიანი (vnebiani), გრძნობითი (grʒnobiti)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: miangasach, macnasach, teaspúil
• Japanese: 官能的な (kannōteki na)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: vellystig

• Portuguese: voluptuoso (pt)
• Romanian: senzual (ro), voluptuos (ro)
• Russian: сладостра́стный (ru) (sladostrástnyj), сластолюби́вый (ru) (slastoljubívyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: sòghail
• Spanish: voluptuoso (es), sensual (es)

curvaceous and sexually attractive

• Bulgarian: напета (bg) (napeta), сексапилна (bg) (seksapilna)
• Catalan: voluptuós
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 凹凸有致 (āotūyǒuzhì), 豐滿／丰满 (zh) (fēngmǎn), 丰满 (zh) (fēngmǎn), 肉感 (zh) (ròugǎn)

• Danish: frodig, yppig
• Dutch: voluptueus (nl)
• Finnish: muodokas (fi)
• French: voluptueux (fr)
• Galician: voluptuoso m
• Georgian: მოგოზილი (mogozili)
• Hungarian: telt (hu), dús idomú
• Irish: cuarúil
• Italian: formoso (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 肉感的な (ja) (にっかんてきな, nikkanteki-na), 豊満な (ja) (ほうまんな, hōman-na)
• Latin: sūcidus
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: yppig

• Polish: ponętny (pl)
• Portuguese: voluptuoso (pt)
• Romanian: voluptuos (ro)
• Russian: пы́шный (ru) (pýšnyj), роско́шный (ru) (roskóšnyj), фигу́ристый (ru) (figúristyj), с краси́выми окру́глыми фо́рмами (s krasívymi okrúglymi fórmami)
• Serbo-Croatian: raskošnih oblina
• Swedish: frodig (sv), yppig (sv)
• Vietnamese: dâm (vi)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} sensuel (fr), ^{(please verify)} voluptueux (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} voluttuoso (it)

Further reading

• “voluptuous”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “voluptuous”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “voluptuous”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.