VOLUPTUOUS Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'voluptuous' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of voluptuous are luxurious , sensual , and sensuous . While all these words mean "relating to or providing pleasure through gratification of the senses," voluptuous implies more strongly an abandonment especially to sensual pleasure. // a voluptuous feast

Q: When is it sensible to use 'luxurious' instead of 'voluptuous'?

While the synonyms luxurious and voluptuous are close in meaning, luxurious suggests the indulgence of sensuous pleasure inducing bodily ease and languor. // a luxurious hotel

Q: When can 'sensual' be used instead of 'voluptuous'?

The words sensual and voluptuous can be used in similar contexts, but sensual tends to imply the gratification of the senses or the indulgence of the physical appetites as ends in themselves. // a life devoted to sensual pleasures

Q: When might 'sensuous' be a better fit than 'voluptuous'?

The synonyms sensuous and voluptuous are sometimes interchangeable, but sensuous implies gratification of the senses for the sake of aesthetic pleasure. // the sensuous delights of great music

voluptuous

adjective

və-ˈləp(t)-shə-wəs

Definition of voluptuous

as in sensual

pleasing to the physical senses the voluptuous richness of the music

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How is the word voluptuous distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of voluptuous are luxurious, sensual, and sensuous. While all these words mean "relating to or providing pleasure through gratification of the senses," voluptuous implies more strongly an abandonment especially to sensual pleasure.

a voluptuous feast

When is it sensible to use luxurious instead of voluptuous?

While the synonyms luxurious and voluptuous are close in meaning, luxurious suggests the indulgence of sensuous pleasure inducing bodily ease and languor.

a luxurious hotel

When can sensual be used instead of voluptuous?

The words sensual and voluptuous can be used in similar contexts, but sensual tends to imply the gratification of the senses or the indulgence of the physical appetites as ends in themselves.

a life devoted to sensual pleasures

When might sensuous be a better fit than voluptuous?

The synonyms sensuous and voluptuous are sometimes interchangeable, but sensuous implies gratification of the senses for the sake of aesthetic pleasure.

the sensuous delights of great music

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of voluptuous Enthusiasts love it for its voluptuous beauty and buttery-smooth typing action. — Literary Hub, 2 June 2026 Once mounted, the voluptuous nude body stands tall like a mountain against the pale wash of Sotheby’s London gallery. — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 30 May 2026 Jimmy is a compulsively magnetic figure who keeps everyone at arm’s length, including the audience, and for a film that embodies a voluptuous sense of tragedy, that leaves it undeniably aloof. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 20 May 2026 The psychologist leaned forward and clarified that the man meant snow from the sky, and not a ground-level accumulation in the form of a buff snow guy or a voluptuous snow gal. — Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for voluptuous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for voluptuous

sensual

Adjective

His focus is on himself, his music, his sensual pleasures and his determination not to be anyone’s victim.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Nick Interlandi’s soundscapes swell with the rat-a-tat of machine guns, or zero in on the precise, satisfying crunch of glass cracking under bone, while Oren Soffer’s cinematography runs the gamut from sickly clinical to startlingly sensual.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of sensual

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voluptuary

voluptuous

voluptuousness

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“Voluptuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/voluptuous. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of voluptuous

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