Synonyms for

Prostitution

Verb / ˌprɑ:stʌˈtu:ʃʌn / Another word for prostitution — explore alternatives below. For syllable breakdowns and pronunciation, see this word on Syllablesworld.

Definition

The act or practice of engaging in sexual activity for money or other forms of payment.

Synonyms & similar words

whoredom harlotry whoring harlotry pro hustling escort hooker streetwalker strumpet courtesan tart harlot

Synonyms by register

Formal

sex work commercial sex prostitution

Informal

hooking whoreing selling sex

Literary

harlotry whoredom

Antonyms

chastity virtue purity celibacy abstinence modesty

Common collocations

  • forced prostitution
  • sex trafficking and prostitution
  • legalize prostitution
  • prostitution laws
  • street prostitution
  • soliciting prostitution
  • organized prostitution

Word family

noun prostitution
verb prostitute
adjective prostituted

Usage note

The term 'prostitution' is often considered pejorative. 'Sex work' is a more neutral and preferred term in some contexts, particularly in advocacy and academic circles.

Example sentences

  1. Prostitution is illegal in many countries.
  2. She turned to prostitution to support her family.
  3. He was arrested for soliciting prostitution.
  4. Prostitution is often associated with human trafficking.
  5. She was forced into prostitution against her will.

Quotes

  • 'Prostitution is not just a service industry, mopping up the overflow of male demand, which always exceeds female supply. Prostitution testifies to the amoral power struggle of sex, which religion has never been able to stop. Prostitutes, pornographers, and their patrons are marauders in the forest of archaic night.' - Camille Paglia
  • 'Prostitution is the supreme triumph of capitalism. Worst of all, prostitution reinforces all the old dumb clichés about women's sexuality; that they are not built to enjoy sex and are little more than walking masturbation aids, things to be DONE TO, things so sensually null and void that they have to be paid to indulge in fornication, that women can be had, bought, as often as not sold from one man to another. When the sex war is won prostitutes should be shot as collaborators for their terrible betrayal of all women, for the moral tarring and feathering they give indigenous women who have had the bad luck to live in what they make their humping ground.' - Julie Burchill
  • 'I believe that prostitution is one of the most extreme forms of violence against women.' - Simone de Beauvoir

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