noun
voyeur
vwah-YUR/vwɑːˈjɜːr/
A person who takes pleasure in watching other people's private experiences.
The hidden voyeur secretly watches the couple through their window.
Etymology
Literally a person who views or inspects, a voyeur is a specialized kind of observer: someone whose pleasure comes from watching others in private.
In context
it's you feel like you get to be a voyeur on and how they're living their lives
More examples
- The narrator makes the reader feel like a voyeur.
- She criticizes the show for turning suffering into entertainment for voyeurs.
- The film exposes the voyeur's invasion of privacy.
Forms
voyeur · voyeurs
Similar words
- onlooker
- Does not imply pleasure in intruding on private experiences.
- peeping Tom
- Peeping Tom specifically suggests secretly watching someone undress or have sex; voyeur can extend to other private experiences.