obscenity

play

noun ob·scen·i·ty \ äb-ˈse-nə-tē , əb- also -ˈsē- \

Definition of obscenity

plural obscenities

1 :the quality or state of being obscene

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

See obscenity defined for English-language learners

See obscenity defined for kids

Examples of obscenity in a Sentence

The author uses obscenity to make a point about the culture.
the issue of whether obscenity is a fundamental part of rap music

Recent Examples of obscenity from the Web

There were people silently giving the finger, but nobody was shouting obscenities.

— nick tabor, Daily Intelligencer, "‘Am I an Accomplice to This Terrible Thing That’s Happening?’," 22 Aug. 2017
In America, her first claim to fame was playing a bored housewife having an affair (and an onscreen orgasm) in Malle’s 1958 film The Lovers, which caused a scandalous obscenity case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court.

— catie l'heureux, The Cut, "Remembering French Actress Jeanne Moreau, Bohemian Style Icon," 31 July 2017
There have been other instances in which obscenities found their way into the Times.

— adrienne lafrance, The Atlantic, "Trump Tests the F-Bomb Policy at The New York Times," 28 July 2017
One dude was walking around yelling obscenities and was saying 'fight like a man.'

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "Suspect in custody after argument leads to fatal shooting in Hazelwood neighborhood," 18 July 2017
Lisa gets a job as a lawyer for a hedge fund, where morning meetings consist of a bunch of finance bros teabagging the speakerphone and screaming obscenities while the SEC is on mute.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "Friends From College Is a Tragedy of Arrested Development," 16 July 2017
A federal appeals court later overturned the obscenity ruling, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear further arguments in the case from the group’s critics.

— jennifer kay, The Seattle Times, "Fresh Kid Ice of 2 Live Crew dies in Miami at age 53," 14 July 2017
Police charged Martin with trespassing and pandering obscenity, Westlake police Capt.

— kaylee remington, cleveland.com, "Man accused of taking upskirt photos of women at Crocker Park Nordstrom Rack," 14 July 2017
Price then tossed some random obscenities at other reporters who tried to speak with him.

— charles p. pierce, SI.com, "David Price should look at Red Sox history and see why battling Boston's media won't work," 14 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'obscenity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of obscenity

1589

obscenity Synonyms

Synonyms

bawdiness, blueness, coarseness, crudeness, crudity, dirt, dirtiness, filth, filthiness, foulness, grossness, impureness, impurity, indecency, lasciviousness, lewdness, nastiness, profanity, raunch, raunchiness, ribaldry, smut, smuttiness, vulgarity, wantonness

Near Antonyms

priggery, priggishness, primness, prudery, prudishness, puritanism; correctness, decency, decorousness, decorum, seemliness; appropriateness, fitness, suitability, suitableness; immaculateness, perfection, purity, spotlessness

OBSCENITY Defined for English Language Learners

obscenity

play

noun

Definition of obscenity for English Language Learners

: the quality or state of being obscene
: obscene words or actions
: an offensive word

OBSCENITY Defined for Kids

obscenity

play

noun ob·scen·i·ty \ äb-ˈse-nə-tē , əb- \

Definition of obscenity for Students

plural obscenities

1 :the quality or state of being shocking to a person's sense of what is moral or decent

2 :something that is shocking to a person's sense of what is moral or decent

Law Dictionary

obscenity

play

noun ob·scen·i·ty \ äb-ˈse-nə-tē \

legal Definition of obscenity

plural obscenities

1 :the quality or state of being obscene

2 :something (as an utterance or act) that is obscene; also :obscene material

Learn More about obscenity

See words that rhyme with obscenity Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for obscenity Spanish Central: Translation of obscenity Nglish: Translation of obscenity for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of obscenity for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about obscenity

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OBSCENITY Defined for English Language Learners

obscenity

Definition of obscenity for English Language Learners

OBSCENITY Defined for Kids

obscenity

Definition of obscenity for Students

Law Dictionary

obscenity

legal Definition of obscenity

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