obscenity

noun

ob·​scen·​i·​ty äb-ˈse-nə-tē 

əb-

also -ˈsē-

plural obscenities

1

: the quality or state of being obscene

2

: something (such as an utterance or act) that is obscene

Synonyms of obscenity

• vulgarity
• grossness
• suggestiveness
• crudeness
• foulness
• indecency
• lewdness
• coarseness

Examples of obscenity in a Sentence

The author uses obscenity to make a point about the culture.

the song couldn't be performed on the air due to the obscenity of the lyrics

Recent Examples on the Web

Right next to her crowd of women's sports advocates was a mosh of pro-transgender activists wearing costumes and shouting obscenities. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026

People throwing cigarette butts against the house, yelling obscenities, playing derogatory music. — Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 8 June 2026

And a relatively small number of conservative states have banned drag shows under public indecency or obscenity statutes. — Nina Totenberg, NPR, 30 June 2026

The French had obscenity laws, too, but they were designed to be hard to enforce, and, in any case, the French didn’t care much about English-language pornography in the nineteen-twenties, since it was purchased mostly by tourists. — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 1 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French obscenité "indecent words or images," borrowed from Latin obscēnitāt-, obscēnitās (obscaenitāt-, obscaenitās) "indecency, indecent language or behavior," from obscēnus, obscaenus "ill-omened, unpropitious, evoking disgust, indecent, lewd" + -itāt-, -itās -ity — more at obscene

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing obscenity

• anti-obscenity

Rhymes for obscenity

• amenity
• serenity
• lenity

Kids Definition

obscenity

noun

ob·​scen·​i·​ty äb-ˈsen-ət-ē 

əb-

plural obscenities

1

: the quality or state of being obscene

2

: something that is obscene

Legal Definition

obscenity

noun

ob·​scen·​i·​ty äb-ˈse-nə-tē 

plural obscenities

1

: the quality or state of being obscene

2

: something (as an utterance or act) that is obscene

also : obscene material