titillativeadj.
/ˈtɪtᵻleɪtɪv/, U.S. /ˈtɪdəˌleɪdɪv/ Pleasantly exciting or stimulating; (now usually) arousing mild sexual excitement or interest; tending to titillate.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > touch and feeling > sensation of being tickled > tickling > [adjective]
tickling1558
titillative1700
titillatory1862
the mind > emotion > excitement > pleasurable excitement > [adjective] > titillating
tickling1558
titillating1677
titillative1700
titillatory1763
titivating1820
tinglish1855
titivatory1975
1700 J. Jones Myst. Opium Reveal'd xli. 370 As an Alterative Emplostick, &c. it [sc. Opium] incides, resolves, discusses, mollefies, maturates, suppurates, and is psilothrick and titillative.
1736 Ld. Chesterfield in Fog's Jrnl. 24 Jan. One Publick Tickler of great Eminency,..whose Titillative Faculty must be allowed to be singly confined to the Ear.
1858 Hampshire Advertiser 10 July 5/6 This pleasingly titilative feeling swelled into positive extatic enjoyment.
1868 Huddersfield Chron. 8 Aug. 4/6 Porter and ale are made ‘palatable’ with..tobacco, wormwood..and several other substances of similar titilative powers.
1929 Sat. Rev. 6 Apr. 473/2 The whole thing was tuneful and gently titillative.
1976 L. A. Zurcher & R. G. Kirkpatrick Citizens for Decency viii. 254 The producer had contrived to include deliberately titillative content and thereby hoped to profit financially from the sale of the material.
2002 J. Barth in J. N. Duvall & A. J. Abadie Faulkner & Postmodernism 192 Pretty spicy stuff by my then standards, and illustrated with titillative line drawings.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, January 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1700