profanity
noun
pro·fan·i·ty
prō-ˈfa-nə-tē 
prə-
plural profanities
1
a
: the quality or state of being profane
b
: the use of profane language
2
a
: profane language
b
: an utterance of profane language
Synonyms
Examples of profanity in a Sentence
The comic uses too much profanity.
My mom will not tolerate profanity.
I have never heard my father utter a single profanity.
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s less profanity, said history teacher Michael Melendez.
—
Gail Cornwall, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
The cast got to yell the most surreal, mysterious profanities at each other, such as ‘’country whores’’, but as opposed to what ?
—Maëlle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Contains pervasive violence, profanity and some nudity.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
The 68-year-old EGOT-winning actress — who typically has Friday mornings off — wasn't present for the Republican seat-holder's comic comparison, which stemmed from a Hot Topics discussion about politicians using profanity.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 2 Feb. 2024
In all these situations, Ollie and Gene are faced with people shouting and screaming profanities.
—Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024
Contains profanity including racial slurs, brief violence and some smoking.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Contains thematic material, some violence, profanity and smoking.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Watch Kevin Nealon in Happy Gilmore (Warning: clip below contains mild profanity)
John Tufts covers trending news for the Indianapolis Star.
—The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
Gail Cornwall, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
The cast got to yell the most surreal, mysterious profanities at each other, such as ‘’country whores’’, but as opposed to what ?
—Maëlle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Contains pervasive violence, profanity and some nudity.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
The 68-year-old EGOT-winning actress — who typically has Friday mornings off — wasn't present for the Republican seat-holder's comic comparison, which stemmed from a Hot Topics discussion about politicians using profanity.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 2 Feb. 2024
In all these situations, Ollie and Gene are faced with people shouting and screaming profanities.
—Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024
Contains profanity including racial slurs, brief violence and some smoking.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Contains thematic material, some violence, profanity and smoking.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Watch Kevin Nealon in Happy Gilmore (Warning: clip below contains mild profanity)
John Tufts covers trending news for the Indianapolis Star.
—The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'profanity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near profanity
Cite this Entry
“Profanity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profanity. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
profanity
noun
pro·fan·i·ty
prō-ˈfan-ət-ē
prə-
plural profanities
1
: the quality or state of being profane
2
: profane language
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