promiscuous

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /prəˈmɪskjuəs/ UK /prəˈmɪskjuəs/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
indiscriminate or undiscriminating in mixing or choice

The collection was a promiscuous jumble of styles.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · indiscriminate or... indiscriminate undiscriminating random mixed haphazard casual disorderly

Opposites

selective discriminating chaste monogamous fastidious

Word family

Forms promiscuously

Derived forms promiscuouslypromiscuousnesspromiscuity

Etymology

From Latin promiscuus ('mixed, indiscriminate'), from pro- (intensive) + miscere ('to mix').

promiscuus Latin miscere Latin *meyǵ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# promiscuous

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** prəˈmɪskjuəs
**IPA (UK):** prəˈmɪskjuəs

## Meanings
1. indiscriminate or undiscriminating in mixing or choice

## Examples
- The collection was a promiscuous jumble of styles.

## Synonyms
- indiscriminate
- undiscriminating
- random
- mixed
- haphazard
- casual
- disorderly

## Antonyms
- selective
- discriminating
- chaste
- monogamous
- fastidious

## Derived Forms
- promiscuously
- promiscuousness
- promiscuity

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: promiscuus
- Root: miscere
- Root: *meyǵ-

## Etymology
From Latin promiscuus ('mixed, indiscriminate'), from pro- (intensive) + miscere ('to mix').

## AI Etymology
Promiscuous comes from Latin promiscuus ('mixed, indiscriminate'), from pro- (intensive) + miscere ('to mix'). The historical chain includes Latin promiscuus, Latin miscere, and Proto-Indo-European *meyǵ-. The quoted older senses, "mixed, indiscriminate" and "to mix", supply the semantic anchors for promiscuous. The formation is best read as compound and borrowed: the word promiscuous carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a adj, "indiscriminate or undiscriminating in mixing or choice". English derivatives include promiscuously, promiscuousness, and promiscuity. The result is a adj whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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