Standard Lemma guide

candaulism

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • General-American: /ˌkænˈdɑl.ɪ.zəm/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A paraphilia, sexual practice, or fantasy in which a man exposes his female partner, or images of her, to other people for their voyeuristic pleasure.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rare, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Candaul(es) (“a king of Lydia”) + -ism, from an account in The Histories of Herodotus in which King Candaules conceived a plot to show his naked and unaware wife to his servant Gyges.