Lolita
How to Use Lolita
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA name that, through a famous novel, became a loaded term for an underage girl seen as sexually alluring — now generally avoided outside of that fashion-subculture sense.
The fashion-subculture sense (elaborate, modest, doll-like clothing) has nothing to do with the novel's sense and is not sexualised.
The general noun sense is sensitive and often considered offensive; use with care.
Word Forms
lolitas plural
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The novel's central character is often referenced in discussions of the term "_____."
Etymology
From the Spanish given name Lolita, a diminutive of Lola, itself short for Dolores. The word entered wider English use through Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel "Lolita."