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Synonym Chooser

How is the word vulgar different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of vulgar are coarse, gross, obscene, and ribald. While all these words mean "offensive to good taste or morals," vulgar often implies boorishness or ill-breeding.

a loud vulgar belch

When is it sensible to use coarse instead of vulgar?

While the synonyms coarse and vulgar are close in meaning, coarse implies roughness, rudeness, or crudeness of spirit, behavior, or language.

found the coarse humor of coworkers offensive

When might gross be a better fit than vulgar?

The synonyms gross and vulgar are sometimes interchangeable, but gross implies extreme coarseness and insensitiveness.

gross eating habits

In what contexts can obscene take the place of vulgar?

While in some cases nearly identical to vulgar, obscene applies to anything strongly repulsive to the sense of decency and propriety especially in sexual matters.

obscene language not allowed on the air

Where would ribald be a reasonable alternative to vulgar?

In some situations, the words ribald and vulgar are roughly equivalent. However, ribald applies to what is amusingly or picturesquely vulgar or irreverent or mildly indecent.

entertained the campers with ribald folk songs

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vulgar The comics were often dismissed as a vulgar form, but the bad joke of our superhero-movie culture is that most of it is a vulgarization of the comics. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 8 July 2025 Unlike Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, which kept such scenes forever out of the frame, Serebrennikov’s decision to show us Mengele at his absolute worst feels both morally suspect and cinematically vulgar. Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025 The cameo came at the end of a recurring sketch in which Mikey Day plays a man who gets cut off in traffic while driving with his daughter, played by Chloe Fineman, exchanging vulgar insults and very literal hand gestures with host Quinta Brunson on a ferry. Glenn Garner, Deadline, 3 May 2025 Using vulgar, profane or indecent language in a loud or boisterous manner in the presence of children. Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 16 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for vulgar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vulgar
Adjective
  • Designed as federal programs to assist the elderly, disabled individuals and those with low income, both have grown into the largest sources of health care coverage in the country.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
  • But both companies could use a boost as consumer demand for indulgent food has been trending lower for some time.
    Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 30 July 2025
Adjective
  • The law requires pornographic websites to verify users’ ages – for example by making users scan and upload their driver’s license – before granting access to content that is deemed obscene for minors but not adults.
    Meg Leta Jones, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
  • Lawsuit alleges 'obscene' government overreach Longo's lawsuit, filed in Chemung County, New York, names the county, the city of Elmira and several DEC officers as defendants.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 12 July 2025
Adjective
  • Claire Wilkinson, the general counsel for the School District, showed board members the two AI policies.
    Edward McKinnon, Arkansas Online, 25 July 2025
  • Ex-National Basketball Players Association deputy general counsel Hal Biagas said public engagement is an effective leverage point to a degree, but its success depends on how much people stay engaged with the CBA saga.
    Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 25 July 2025
Adjective
  • After a game in January where Luna played through a broken nose and registered an assist despite being elbowed in the face by a player from Costa Rica, Pochettino praised his young midfielder with a memorably crass description.
    Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 16 June 2025
  • Swearing and vulgarity aren’t just crass or abusive.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 15 June 2025
Adjective
  • Proposition 12 is the colloquial term for the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative.
    Alan Wooten, The Washington Examiner, 28 June 2025
  • The strawberry moon is the colloquial name for June's full moon, a term originating from Native American tribes who marked the time when wild strawberries reached peak ripeness.
    Kate Nalepinski, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025
Adjective
  • My focus is down to the ignoble little health annoyances that seem to cap and even eclipse a major setback.
    John Updike, New Yorker, 11 July 2025
  • O’Neal credits the playgrounds of his childhood with giving him instincts on the court and helping instill the resilience to endure what felt like an ignoble start to his career.
    Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
Adjective
  • Some posed for photos, others made rude gestures, and many simply stared.
    Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 27 July 2025
  • The movie’s off-color humor wouldn’t fly today, but its rebellious spirit remains hilariously defiant — a refreshingly rude retort to the niceties of family films and their cringey feel-good messages.
    Tim Grierson, Vulture, 25 July 2025
Adjective
  • Brandon Gill: There was a time between 2014 and 2022 when leftists in academia and the media would use this kind of weird, woke, far-left vernacular.
    David Weigel, semafor.com, 11 July 2025
  • Instead, the architecture of the city was part of my vernacular.
    Caitlin Woolsey, Artforum, 1 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vulgar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vulgar. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on vulgar

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