voyeur
/vwɑ:'jə/
Definition
- Noun:
- A person who gains sexual pleasure from secretly watching others, especially when they are naked, undressing, or engaged in sexual activity. This is the primary and most specific meaning.
- By extension, a person who enjoys seeing the private or distressing details of other people's lives. This figurative sense describes someone who takes an intrusive, often unwholesome, interest in the misfortunes or private affairs of others.
Examples of Usage
Noun (literal sense):
- The man was arrested as a voyeur for hiding in the bushes and watching people through their windows.
- The film explores the psychology of a voyeur who spies on his neighbors.
Noun (figurative sense):
- Reality TV often appeals to the voyeur in all of us, allowing us to watch the personal dramas of strangers.
- The journalist was accused of being a voyeur, exploiting the family's tragedy for a sensational story.
Advanced Usage
"Voyeuristic" (adjective): Relating to or characteristic of a voyeur.
- He had a voyeuristic fascination with his coworkers' personal emails.
- The documentary was criticized for its voyeuristic portrayal of poverty.
"Voyeurism" (noun): The practice or condition of being a voyeur; the act of obtaining sexual gratification from secretly observing others.
- The crime was classified as an act of voyeurism.
- The novel examines the themes of loneliness and voyeurism in the digital age.
Variants and Related Words
- Peeping Tom: (noun, informal) A synonym for a voyeur, especially one who spies on people through windows. This term originates from a legendary story.
- Voyeuristic: (adjective) Pertaining to voyeurism.
- Voyeurism: (noun) The practice or condition of being a voyeur.
Synonyms
- Peeping Tom: (noun) A person who secretly watches others, especially for sexual gratification.
- Snoop: (noun, less specific) A person who investigates, especially in a sneaky or prying way.
- Busybody: (noun, figurative) A meddling person who pries into others' affairs.
Related Phrases / Idioms
- "A society of voyeurs": A phrase used to critique a culture where people are excessively interested in the private, often sensationalized, lives of others, particularly through media.
- Some argue that social media has created a society of voyeurs.
Noun
-
a viewer who enjoys seeing the sex acts or sex organs of others
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