PROMISCUOUS

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does promiscuous mean? 

• PROMISCUOUS (adjective)
  The adjective PROMISCUOUS has 2 senses:

1. not selective of a single class or person

2. casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior

  Familiarity information: PROMISCUOUS used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PROMISCUOUS (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Not selective of a single class or person

Context example:

Clinton was criticized for his promiscuous solicitation of campaign money

Similar:

indiscriminate (not marked by fine distinctions)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior

Synonyms:

easy; light; loose; promiscuous; sluttish; wanton

Context example:

wanton behavior

Similar:

unchaste (not chaste)

Derivation:

promiscuity; promiscuousness (indulging in promiscuous (casual and indiscriminate) sexual relations)

 Context examples 

As to his relations with women, they appeared to have been promiscuous but superficial.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

What those two creatures did in her absence, she never knew, but Mr. Scott was not taken 'up to Mother's', and when Meg descended, after they had strolled away together, she found traces of a promiscuous lunch which filled her with horror.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

MVF-HER-2(628-647)-CRL 1005 vaccine, coated with poloxamer CRL-1005 to form microparticles, consists of a mutated HER-2 B-cell epitope, HER-2(628-647), and a promiscuous T cell epitope (amino acid sequence 288-302) of the measles virus fusion protein (MVF).

(MVF-HER-2(628-647)-CRL 1005 Vaccine, NCI Thesaurus)

A combination peptide vaccine of 2 chimeric peptides of the promiscuous T cell epitope derived from measles virus fusion protein (MVF; amino acid residues 288-302) co-synthesized with B-cell epitopes derived from the HER-2/neu a.a. 597-626 and HER-2/neu a.a. 266-296, with potential antineoplastic activity.

(MVF-HER-2(597-626)/MVF-HER-2 (266-296) Peptide Vaccine, NCI Thesaurus)

Considering how many hundreds of statues of the great Emperor must exist in London, it is too much to suppose such a coincidence as that a promiscuous iconoclast should chance to begin upon three specimens of the same bust.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Blest if she ain't in silk from head to foot; ain't it a relishin' sight to see her settin' there as fine as a fiddle, and hear folks calling little Amy 'Mis. Laurence!' muttered old Hannah, who could not resist frequent peeks through the slide as she set the table in a most decidedly promiscuous manner.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)