1
as in pornographic
dealing in or with explicitly sexual material
for his comedy-club performances the stand-up comic's routines are definitely X-rated
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
the jerk should have known better than to tell an X-rated joke at a company function
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of X-rated
For the first seven years of the rating system (1969-1975), nearly half of the top films (33 of 70) were R- or X-rated.
—
Tom Brueggemann, IndieWire, 26 July 2024
What audiences see are silhouettes engaged in a shadow play of entwined hands and arched backs, sensual but not X-rated.
—Rebecca Ritzel, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024
Granted, none of these are X-rated, but one of my concerns is that the intensity of this online relationship has grown quite exponentially in a very short time and could very well lead to actual X-rated.
—Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024
Keep the red boost light on with your right foot and the Riviera will eventually peak out at 105 mph, although the speedometer is X-rated above 85.
—Don Sherman, Car and Driver, 8 Mar. 2023
Tom Brueggemann, IndieWire, 26 July 2024
What audiences see are silhouettes engaged in a shadow play of entwined hands and arched backs, sensual but not X-rated.
—Rebecca Ritzel, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024
Granted, none of these are X-rated, but one of my concerns is that the intensity of this online relationship has grown quite exponentially in a very short time and could very well lead to actual X-rated.
—Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024
Keep the red boost light on with your right foot and the Riviera will eventually peak out at 105 mph, although the speedometer is X-rated above 85.
—Don Sherman, Car and Driver, 8 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for X-rated
Adjective
-
Being the mother of seven was useful, however, when the court debated in January whether there were workable alternatives to age verification requirements for pornographic websites.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
-
As of state legislation passed in 2024, creating or distributing non-consensual pornographic deepfakes is a misdemeanor offense in Indiana.—
Jen Guadarrama,
IndyStar,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Clothing must not feature offensive language, obscene gestures/graphics, or nudity or clothing that does not sufficiently cover undergarments.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The store supplied her with bondage pants, kilts, and T-shirts printed with obscene illustrations.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Polar Bear Encounters Before and After Regulations On Ocean Explorer, guests are quietly watching a sub-adult female from the two outer decks on the bow of the ship, which the captain is keeping 500 meters away from the bear.—
Cassidy Randall,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Why 'Shrinking' Is a Parents-Only Watch The themes, relationships, and conversations in this show are primarily adult in nature.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The book is filled with vulgar pictures, with many faces blacked out, and messages both handwritten and typed from well-wishers for Epstein’s 50th birthday.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
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The biopic is the vulgar but necessary tribute inherently populist cinema pays to more traditional, higher-brow art.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The back of the knee is a surprisingly erotic spot, sensitive to light touch and teasing.—
Essence,
Essence,
11 Sep. 2025
-
To make peace, Replika reinstated the right to practice erotic role play, but only for legacy users who’d signed up before February, 2023.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“X-rated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/X-rated. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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