dirty word

noun

: a word, expression, or idea that is disagreeable or unpopular in a particular frame of reference

Examples of dirty word in a Sentence

The movie is just a lot of sex, violence, and dirty words. They regard “taxes” as a dirty word. The way he acts, you'd think compassion was a dirty word.

Recent Examples on the Web Hot With a Vengeance, Sable Yong looks to understand why vanity is still such a dirty word in a culture so obsessed with beauty. —

Shannon Carlin, TIME, 27 June 2024 Nuance is a dirty word inside the Valley of the Stupid. —

Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2024 Still, governance in the Boehner era was not a dirty word, and the vast majority of new Republican members were receptive to it. —

Robert Draper, New York Times, 30 May 2024 Patriotism, a dirty word among Russian liberals only a few years before, was making a comeback, accompanied by various hues of Russian nationalism. —

Dmitri Trenin, Foreign Affairs, 25 Dec. 2016 See all Example Sentences for dirty word

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dirty word.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.