sexy

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛk.sɪ/
• (General American) enPR: sĕkʹsē, IPA^(key): /ˈsɛk.si/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛksi

From sex +‎ -y.

sexy (comparative sexier, superlative sexiest)

1. Having sex appeal; attractive.

   Synonyms: hot, arousing, (archaic) concupiscible

   The participants in the swimsuit competition are all very sexy.

   She has a sexy voice!

   • 1978, “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?”, in Blondes Have More Fun, performed by Rod Stewart:

     If you want my body and you think I'm sexy / Come on sugar let me know

   • 2015, Elisabeth Sheff, Tikva Wolf, Stories From the Polycule: Real Life in Polyamorous Families‎^[1]:

     So we decided, in the sexiest and most entertaining way possible, to create a “fluid-bound contract.”

2. (of a thing or concept) Intriguing, appealing, likely to excite interest.

   The manufacturers have launched a sexy new car.

   We have some sexy ideas on how to improve sales.

   Being an undertaker is not a sexy career.

   • 2013, Kathy Casey, D'Lish Deviled Eggs, page 67:

     Creamy cheese, tangy-sweet peppers, and a hit of heat tango in this sexy deviled-egg combo.

   • 2020, Katja Brokke, “Amsterdam has been collapsing for years. Now it's paying the price”, in CNN Travel:

     "The management of the quay walls and bridges has lagged behind in recent decades because it was not given the political priority it deserves and it is not a sexy topic," says Dijksma.

   • 2023 October 7, Gregor Muir, “Frieze turns 20”, in FT Weekend, Collecting, page 2:

     Seeing A-listers in the aisles makes Frieze seem sexier than most fairs, placing added pressure on galleries to live up to the sponsorship provided by high-end fashion brands and luxury goods.

3. (rare) Sexual; relating to or involving sex.

   He didn't really like me; all he wanted was for me to be sexy with him.

• (having sexual appeal): alluring, dishy (of a man), foxy (of a woman), horny, raunchy, sensual, tasty, dreamy, cute, handsome (of a man), dashing (of a man)
• (attractive, appealing): gorgeous, tasty, hot
• See also Thesaurus:sexy

• unsexy
• nonsexy
• (sense 2) prosaic

From Latin sex (“six”) +‎ -y, intended as a pun.

sexy (not comparable)

1. (mathematics) Used to describe prime numbers that differ from each other by six.

   (73,79) is a sexy prime pair.

• sexy prime

• syxe

• IPA^(key): [ˈsɛksɪ]

sexy

1. nominative/accusative/vocative/instrumental plural of sex

Borrowed from English sexy.

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛk.si/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: sexy

sexy (comparative sexyer, superlative sexyst)

1. sexy

   Wij zijn buitengewoon sexy.

   We are extraordinarily sexy.

Declension of sexy
uninflected	sexy
inflected	sexy
comparative	sexyer
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		sexy	sexyer	het sexyst het sexyste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	sexy	sexyere	sexyste
	n. sing.	sexy	sexyer	sexyste
	plural	sexy	sexyere	sexyste
definite		sexy	sexyere	sexyste
partitive		sexy's	sexyers	—

Borrowed from English sexy.

• IPA^(key): /sɛk.si/

• Audio:

  (file)

sexy (invariable)

1. sexy

• “sexy”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Borrowed from English sexy.

• IPA^(key): /ˈzɛksi/ (official standard but rarely used; usually considered overly formal or incorrect)
• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛksi/ (usual)

• Audio:

  (file)

sexy (strong nominative masculine singular sexyer, comparative sexyer, superlative am sexysten)

1. sexy

• In German, most people try to approximate the original pronunciations of many recently borrowed words, which is why there is even a term for this, Fremdwort, for which there is no real equivalent in English. In the case of the corresponding noun, Sex, a voiced beginning is considered even more outdated or incorrect than for the adjective sexy, and this voiced pronunciation is used and emphasized for sechs ("six") to clearly differentiate it.
• The positive form is not inflected in standard usage: ein sexy Kleid. Inflected forms only occur in colloquial speech (ein sexyes Kleid), and only rarely.
• The comparative has to be inflected when used before nouns. This is avoided in standard usage, which means that the comparative is rare except in predicative position. (Colloquial: Sie will ein sexyeres Kleid. / Sie will ein Kleid, das mehr sexy ist. Formal written: Die Kundin sucht ein Kleid, das sexyer ist. Formal spoken [since the ending of sexyer is hard to hear]: Die Kundin sucht ein Kleid, das mehr sexy ist.)

• unsexy

• “sexy” in Duden online
• “sexy” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Unadapted borrowing from English sexy.

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛk.si/^[1]
• Rhymes: -ɛksi
• Hyphenation: sè‧xy

sexy (invariable)

1. sexy

• sexy-shop

Borrowed from English sexy.

sexy (indeclinable)

1. sexy

• “sexy” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Borrowed from English sexy.

sexy (indeclinable)

1. sexy

• “sexy” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Unadapted borrowing from English sexy.

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛk.si/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛksi
• Syllabification: se‧xy

sexy (comparative bardziej sexy, superlative najbardziej sexy, no derived adverb)

1. (colloquial) sexy (having sexual appeal)

   Synonym: seksowny

sexy (comparative bardziej sexy, superlative najbardziej sexy)

1. (colloquial) sexily

   Synonym: seksownie

• sexy in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• sexy in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Unadapted borrowing from English sexy.

• Audio (Portugal, Porto):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛksi

sexy (invariable)

1. sexy (having sexual appeal)

   Synonym: sensual

   • 2007, Tania Menai, Nova York do Oiapoque ao Chuí: relatos de brasileiros na cidade que nunca dorme, Casa da Palavra, →ISBN, page 129:

     O pessoal daqui viu como a gente fotografa bem, como as meninas são bonitas, todas elas são sexys, têm corpo legal, a maioria é desinibida — ou seja, não há problema de vestir biquíni ou lingerie e fotografar.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2014, Ivan Misner, Frank J. De Raffele Jr., Hazel M. Walker, Essa ideia é tão boa que parece que foi sua, Universo dos Livros Editora, →ISBN, page 33:

     Não, amor. Você está fantástica. É elegante e sexy ao mesmo tempo. Mas não é o vestido que é sexy, é você que faz esse vestido parecer sexy!

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• “sexy”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
• “sexy”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025

Unadapted borrowing from English sexy.

• IPA^(key): [ˈseksi]

sexy m or f or n (indeclinable)

1. sexy

   Synonym: sexos

• IPA^(key): [ˈseksi]

sexy

1. nominative/accusative plural of sex

sexy m or f (masculine and feminine plural sexys) (or invariable)

1. alternative form of sexi

• “sexy”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024