Word: promiscuous

Associations

The word "promiscuous" generally describes a person who has many sexual partners or is indiscriminate in their choice of partners. It can also refer to a lack of selectivity in more general terms.

• Example 1: "He has a promiscuous lifestyle that often leads to complicated relationships." This means he engages with many partners without forming deep connections.
• Example 2: "Some people might judge her as promiscuous because she dates multiple people at once." This suggests that dating many people can lead to a label.
• Example 3: "The promiscuous behavior of the character in the movie raised some eyebrows." This indicates the behavior is surprising or controversial to others.

The well-known synonym "lewd" is slightly different as it often emphasizes indecent behavior in general, while "promiscuous" directly relates to sexual activity.

Substitution

Other words/phrases you could use instead of "promiscuous" include:

• "Sexually active" - more neutral; does not imply judgment.
• "Open" - can mean someone who is not secretive about dating but can also imply non-exclusivity.
• "Indiscriminate" - this can refer to choices in general and can apply outside of sexual context.

Deconstruction

The word "promiscuous" comes from the Latin word "promiscuus," which means "mixed" or "indiscriminate." There is no prefix, but the suffix "-ous" means "full of" or "characterized by." Therefore, it conveys the idea of being mixed in choices, not selective.

Inquiry

• How do you think society views promiscuity differently for men and women?
• Can you think of situations where being "indiscriminate" might have a positive or negative outcome?
• Have you ever witnessed a situation where someone was labeled as promiscuous? What was the impact of that label?