1
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
some of the movie's most ribald, and thus funniest, scenes were cut for showing on broadcast television
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in suggestive
hinting at or intended to call to mind matters regarded as indecent
a ribald tale rife with double entendres and racy innuendo
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ribald
Much of the dialogue is hilariously ribald, especially in a locker room scene in which the two nude men share a tender familial embrace after comparing penises.
—
Frank Scheck,
The Hollywood Reporter,
10 June 2023
Eight years ago that original, decidedly more ribald version, was a surprise hit with gay men.
—
Rod Stafford Hagwood,
sun-sentinel.com,
14 Oct. 2020
But, Brigman found, the men in Stieglitz’s scene often belittled the subject, ogling and making ribald jokes.
—
Sarah Blackwood,
The New Yorker,
11 May 2020
But Beforeigners eschews the supernatural, and the campier teen soap elements, to deliver a thoughtful, moving, and often quite ribald and funny tale of various worlds colliding.
—
Jennifer Ouellette,
Ars Technica,
21 Feb. 2020
See All Example Sentences for ribald
Frank Scheck,
The Hollywood Reporter,
10 June 2023
Eight years ago that original, decidedly more ribald version, was a surprise hit with gay men.
—
Rod Stafford Hagwood,
sun-sentinel.com,
14 Oct. 2020
But, Brigman found, the men in Stieglitz’s scene often belittled the subject, ogling and making ribald jokes.
—
Sarah Blackwood,
The New Yorker,
11 May 2020
But Beforeigners eschews the supernatural, and the campier teen soap elements, to deliver a thoughtful, moving, and often quite ribald and funny tale of various worlds colliding.
—
Jennifer Ouellette,
Ars Technica,
21 Feb. 2020
See All Example Sentences for ribald
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ribald
Adjective
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Yippies would turn up at a 1970 Blood, Sweat & Tears show at Madison Square Garden, carrying obscene banners outside and dumping manure by the front gate.
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After shares rallied to a peak of $225 on June 16, a stunning 50 percent rise over their opening price, Musk officially became the world’s very-first trillionaire — an obscene hyper-capitalist milestone highlighting the tech oligarchy’s iron grip on society.
Adjective
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One of Smarty Pants’ buttons has a poop symbol on it, and there a couple of suggestive turns of phrase.
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The messages between Johnson and Duffey in 2024 revealed that the two men used suggestive language.
Adjective
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Others were removed early on for vulgar or inappropriate comments, according to a PGA Tour source with knowledge of the events, with five spectators in total ejected from the tournament with six holes to go.
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In recent years, Trae Young has repeatedly tormented the Knicks at the famed Madison Square Garden, turning clutch shots and postgame showmanship into vulgar chants from New York fans.
Adjective
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This sweet and spicy guacamole contains chunks of golden mango mixed with a combination of jalapeño peppers and habanero pepper purée, plus onion, red bell pepper, cilantro, and, of course, Hass variety avocados.
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Even the sweet-and-spicy combinations showing up on menus this summer usually start with a base of garlic or ginger.
Adjective
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Gibson asked for pornographic images of the minor, and sent photos of himself, according to court documents.
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While Washington drags its feet, kids across the nation are being exposed to vile, pornographic images and ads with no meaningful safeguards to prevent it.
Adjective
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Real talk, Palmer is one of pop culture’s most incandescent figures, whose natural cadence and sense of self yields an approachably bawdy humor.
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True to the genre’s name, the blues could be bawdy, humorously describing the pleasures of the flesh, or sorrowful, conveying heart-wrenching despair.
Adjective
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After a hard foul and subsequent yellow card by Mohannad Abu Taha, Argentina was set up with a free kick just inches outside the 18-yard box.
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And then in the third, borderline, foul-ball homer right there.
Adjective
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We’re used to nasty, hateful, and sometimes violent things being said about us and even about our family.
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Tarik Skubal was nasty against the Yankees.
Cite this Entry
“Ribald.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ribald. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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