lolita means A young girl who is sexually alluring. It carries an Arena rating of 1361, earned across 53 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, lolita ranks #59 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #96 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #404 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #988 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
lolita is pronounced /ləʊˈli.tə/.
Why “lolita” is a great word
LOLITA — [Noun] A young girl perceived as sexually alluring, or an adherent of a Japanese street fashion characterized by childlike, ornate, and modest clothing. From the title character, Dolores "Lolita" Haze, of Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel Lolita; the character's name is a Spanish diminutive of Lola, itself a diminutive of Dolores (from Spanish dolor, meaning "sorrow, pain"). Unlike "jailbait," which crudely foregrounds illegality, or "gamine," which suggests a playful, boyish charm, "Lolita" carries the heavy, literary perfume of obsession and corrupted innocence. It is the oppressive scent of suburban hydrangeas, the ornate, lace-choked silhouette of a Tokyo street, and the ghost of a girl forever eclipsed by monstrous idolatry—a word forever binding desire to the sorrow from which it was forged.
Etymology
From the title character, Dolores “Lolita” Haze, of Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel Lolita.
noun
- A young girl who is sexually alluring.
- A follower of Lolita fashion.
name
- A female given name from Spanish.e.g.“She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita.” — 1955, Vladimir Nabokov, chapter 1, in Lolita:
- A female given name from Assamese, Bengali, Odia and Santali.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- lolicon 63% match — Attraction (often erotic) to fictional depictions of young, typically prepubescent girls. vs lolita →
- lovergirl 53% match — A female lover, especially a young one. vs lolita →
- lovelace 51% match — A well-mannered libertine. vs lolita →
- loveling 51% match — A beloved little one; darling; a beloved or lovable thing. vs lolita →
- devotchka 50% match — A girl, especially one of Russian descent. vs lolita →
- prostitot 50% match — A prepubescent girl who emulates the overtly sexual fashions and attitudes of twentysomething women such as pop stars. vs lolita →
- boylover 50% match — A pedophile, hebephile, or ephebophile who is attracted to boys. vs lolita →
- toddlercon 50% match — Japanese-inspired erotic or suggestive art depicting very young children, of toddler age. vs lolita →