obscenity

noun

ob·scen·i·ty | \ äb-ˈse-nə-tē

, əb- also -ˈsē-\

plural obscenities

Definition of obscenity

1 : the quality or state of being obscene

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

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about obscenity

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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 on the Web

Disturbance, SOM Center Road: A man was reported to be yelling obscenities while walking on an all-purpose trail June 23. — cleveland.com, "Man sees no harm in incident involving 14-year-old girl: Mayfield Police Blotter," 26 June 2019 Less than a month before that, Google confirmed a recent uptick in hacks on its Nest security cameras, allowing attackers to peer into users homes and utter obscenities and abuse through its microphone. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Two Major Airlines Admit to Undisclosed Cameras in Aircraft Entertainment Systems," 22 Feb. 2019 He could be heard shouting obscenities as police removed him, KFOR reported. — Dallas News, "Watch: Dallas-bound flight lands in Oklahoma so police can remove drunken, violent passenger," 19 June 2019 The meeting at a downtown church was called by the city in the wake of the release of a bystander's video of police officers who pointed their guns and shouted obscenities last month at a black family. — NBC News, "Phoenix police chief promises change after officers pulled guns over stolen doll," 19 June 2019 That happened less than 24 hours after Stevens pushed and yelled obscenities toward Raptors guard Kyle Lowry during the Warriors’ Game 3 loss in the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. — Mark Medina, The Mercury News, "Adam Silver explains why Warriors investor not given life-time ban for incident with Kyle Lowry," 6 June 2019 Nearly three weeks later, Lipton was riding his bike through downtown Buena Vista when Lee pulled him over for flipping off two men and yelling obscenities at them. — Kirk Mitchell, The Denver Post, "Coast Guard vet who gives the bird to Buena Vista cops and townspeople has been arrested multiple times for it. Now, he’s suing the city.," 4 June 2019 They were both arrested the same day on charges of obscenity. — Fernando Ramirez, Houston Chronicle, "Louisiana cops arrest inmate and teen who were allegedly having sex in courthouse," 13 July 2018 Despite Do Not Call lists, the shrieking of obscenities and other defenses, rogue calls have only been growing. — James R. Hagerty, WSJ, "Everyone Loathes Robocalls. Some People Try to Get Even.," 20 Dec. 2018

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.