harlotry

noun

har·​lot·​ry ˈhär-lə-trē How to pronounce harlotry (audio)
plural harlotries
1
: sexual profligacy : prostitution
2
: an unprincipled or immoral woman
he sups tonight with a harlotryWilliam Shakespeare

Examples of harlotry in a Sentence

a city that in biblical times was infamous for licentiousness and harlotry
Recent Examples on the Web Within the slippery world of harlotry—where class can be transcended and humanity bought—relationships form that defy our historical assumptions about the bounded categories of human experience. Sarah Marshall, New Republic, 2 June 2017 That's how my job eventually descended into harlotry: through the endless cat-and-mouse game of porntrepreneurs subverting Google's anti-smut policies. Lucas Peterson, GQ, 22 May 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'harlotry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of harlotry was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near harlotry

Cite this Entry

“Harlotry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harlotry. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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