Definition

1. Adjective: Sexually satisfying oneself, typically through masturbation or other self-stimulation, without the participation of another person. It describes a sexual feeling or activity directed toward oneself.

Usage

• The term is used in psychological, medical, and general descriptive contexts to refer to self-directed sexual behavior or arousal.
• It is a formal, clinical term. In everyday conversation, more common terms like "masturbation" (the act) are often used instead.

Examples

• Adjective:
  • He engaged in autoerotic behavior.
  • The study examined autoerotic fantasies.
  • Some autoerotic practices can be dangerous if safety precautions are ignored.

Advanced Usage

• "Autoerotic asphyxiation": A specific and potentially dangerous practice where a person seeks to enhance sexual pleasure by temporarily depriving the brain of oxygen.
  • The coroner ruled the death an accident resulting from autoerotic asphyxiation.

Variants and Related Words

• Autoeroticism (noun): The state or practice of being autoerotic; self-generated sexual arousal.
  • The book discusses the psychology of autoeroticism.

Synonyms

• Self-stimulating: Causing arousal in oneself.
• Autosexual: Relating to or characterized by sexual desire directed toward oneself. (Note: This is a less common synonym.)

Notes

• The word is a compound formed from the prefix "auto-" (meaning "self") and "erotic" (relating to sexual desire). It is used strictly to describe the self-directed nature of the activity or feeling.
• It is typically not used in casual idioms or phrasal verbs due to its specific and formal nature.

Adjective

1. sexually satisfying yourself (as by masturbation)