adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   Capable of being raised to an upright position. not-comparable
2. 2
   Capable of filling with blood and becoming rigid. not-comparable

   "The penis and clitoris contain erectile tissue which responds to sexual stimulation."

Adjective

1. 1
   filled with vascular sinuses and capable of becoming distended and rigid as the result of being filled with blood wordnet
2. 2
   capable of being raised to an upright position wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

cavernouscavernouserectuplifting

Example

More examples

"Is the source of the erectile dysfunction of my husband the fact that he started drinking?"

Etymology

From French érectile, from Latin erectus, past participle of erigere, equivalent to erect + -ile.

Related phrases

erectile dysfunction

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.