promiscuous
adj/pɹəˈmɪs.kju.əs/
Etymology From Latin prōmiscuus (“mixed, not separated”), from prō (“forth”) + misceō (“mix”).
1
Made up of various disparate elements mixed together; of disorderly composition.
- Came singly where he stood on the bare strand, / While the promiscuous croud stood yet aloof.1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 379-80:
- [T]hey had both been educated [...] on plans at once narrow and promiscuous, first in an English family and afterwards in a Swiss family at Lausanne, their bachelor uncle and guardian trying in this way to remedy the disadvantages of their orphaned condition.1871, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter I, in Middlemarch […], volume I, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book I, page 4:
2
Made without careful choice; indiscriminate.
- A sail caught by a promiscuous wind.
3
Having many sexual partners, especially if indiscriminate in choice of sexual partners.
- X spreads false rumours to third parties about X’s spouse being promiscuous. X’s spouse finds out about the rumours and is distressed. X has committed emotional or psychological abuse against X’s spouse.2023, Parliament of Singapore, “Women’s Charter (Family Violence and Other Matters) (Amendment) Bill”, in Republic of Singapore Government Gazette^(https://www.parliament.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/women's-charter-(family-violence-and-other-matters)(amendment)-bill-18-2023.pdf), page 5:
4
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Networking, Physical sciences, Sciences The mode in which an NIC gathers all network traffic instead of getting only the traffic intended for it.
- Synonyms
- abandoned, common, easy, fast, lascivious, lewd, liberal, libidinous, licentious, loose, lustful, lusty, promiscuous, riggish, slack, unchaste, wanton, wappened
- Derived terms
- nonpromiscuous, overpromiscuous, promiscuity, promiscuously, promiscuousness, superpromiscuous, unpromiscuous
- Related terms
- promiscuous man, promiscuous woman, put out, aroused
- Hypernyms
- corrupted, debauched, decadent, depraved, dissolute, dissipated, hedonic, immoral, incontinent, profligate, self-indulgent, unrestrained
- Hyponyms
- bad, Of a woman, fallen, fast-tailed, hot to trot, meretricious, round-heeled, skeezy, slaggy, sluttish, slutty, tarty, whorey, whorish, Of a man, louche, raffish, rakish, sleazy