Definition

1. Verb:
   • To make something more exciting, appealing, or interesting, often by adding sensational, exaggerated, or erotic elements: The core meaning is to enhance or alter something (like a story, report, or presentation) to make it more attractive, stimulating, or attention-grabbing, typically in a way that is not entirely truthful or is overly dramatic.

Usage

• This verb is transitive and often used in informal contexts, particularly in media, politics, and marketing.
• It implies a deliberate act of embellishment or distortion to increase appeal or impact.
• The object is typically a narrative, account, report, or piece of information.

Examples

• Verb:
  • The journalist was accused of sexing up the article with unverified claims to attract more readers.
  • They sexed up the annual report with glossy graphics and bold predictions to impress the investors.
  • Politicians sometimes sex up their policy proposals with simplistic slogans.

Advanced Usage

• "to sex something up": This is the standard phrasal verb structure.
  • The marketing team decided to sex the campaign up with a provocative new slogan.

Variants and Related Words

• Sexed-up (adjective): Describes something that has been made more exciting or appealing in this manner.
  • The public was skeptical of the sexed-up intelligence dossier.

Synonyms

• Embellish: To make a story more interesting by adding details, often fictitious ones.
• Sensationalize: To present information in a way that provokes public interest or excitement, at the expense of accuracy.
• Spice up: To make something more exciting or interesting (a more general, less negative synonym).

Phrasal Verbs

• This term itself is a phrasal verb: to sex up.

Related Idioms

• To jazz something up: An informal idiom with a similar meaning of making something more exciting or attractive.
  • We need to jazz up this presentation; it's too dry. (Compare to: We need to sex up this presentation.)

Verb

1. give erotic character to or make more interesting
   • eroticize the ads