bawdy

adjective

ˈbȯ-dē How to pronounce bawdy (audio)
Definition of bawdynext
1
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society a bawdy comment about someone you work with could get you fired

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in suggestive
hinting at or intended to call to mind matters regarded as indecent a bawdy limerick that mischievous storytellers love to recite

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 bawdy True to the genre’s name, the blues could be bawdy, humorously describing the pleasures of the flesh, or sorrowful, conveying heart-wrenching despair. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Mar. 2026 In the movie’s fuzzy metaphysics, Shelley wills herself into the consciousness of a character named Ida (also played by Buckley), a young woman angling for survival in 1930s Chicago — a colorful, dangerous world of bawdy lotharios and lethal gangsters. — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026 Later, the boy sits sharpening a stick in a tree, singing the first of two bawdy songs. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 2 Feb. 2026 In the bawdy comedic scene, Tommy wakes up au natural in his hotel bed after an amorous evening with his wife, Angela Norris (Ali Larter), to find a shocked housekeeper in the hotel room. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bawdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawdy
  1. obscene
  2. suggestive
  3. vulgar
  4. spicy
  5. pornographic
  6. ribald
  7. nasty
  8. foul
Adjective
  • These stories were reprinted in Scottish and English botanical texts, and Henrietta would have known about the obscene ideas connected with the mushroom.
    — Leah Hudson, Popular Science, 9 July 2026
  • Jackson then allegedly drove over into another lane and swerved at the victim, while using an obscene hand gesture.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026
Definition of obscene
Adjective
  • But the most expensive plastic surgery today is seamless, vaguely Gnostic, suggestive of complex secret knowledge.
    — Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 11 July 2026
  • Since the sandworm, several other buckets have gone viral, many for suggestive designs.
    — Greta Cross, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of suggestive
Adjective
  • Lonnie is loud, obnoxious, and vulgar in ways that rankle traditional golfers.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 July 2026
  • Suki, a vocal Black woman with an at times vulgar persona, whereas Althoff, a white woman, gained a reputation as an awkward, seemingly timid interviewer on her The Really Good Podcast.
    — Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of vulgar
Adjective
  • Her food receives high praise, but a couple days later, one of her friend’s employees dies, possibly from an overdose of an extremely spicy hot sauce.
    — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026
  • End your meal in true New Orleans fashion with a cup of café brûlot, a spicy, alcoholic beverage that is — whoosh!
    — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 20 July 2026
Definition of spicy
Adjective
  • Last year, the Supreme Court upheld a different Texas law requiring that pornographic websites verify users are at least 18 to allow access.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • Last year, the court upheld a Texas law that requires pornographic websites to verify users' ages.
    — Nina Totenberg, NPR, 6 July 2026
Definition of pornographic
Adjective
  • Despite the ribald phrasing, this kind of question is not entirely uncommon at Memphis’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.
    — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026
  • Beulah picks up the story from there, spilling the colorful and ribald saga of how her family — originally named Sullivan, from Ireland — migrated west and got caught in the middle of the Texas revolution.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 12 June 2026
Definition of ribald
Adjective
  • In Michigan alone, more than 7,000 have fallen ill with the nasty foodborne disease, which causes severe diarrhea, and comes from exposure to a parasite in contaminated water used to wash or irrigate crops.
    — Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Europe has been consumed by a nasty fire season this year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
    — Max Saltman, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Definition of nasty
Adjective
  • Over these six weeks, the standard of on-field refereeing was predictably unpredictable, given the wide range of views that exist in different countries on what constitutes a foul, caution or red card.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • Joey Bart followed by lining a ball that whizzed over third base and then skidded in foul territory to the base of a wall that juts perpendicular to the infield.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 July 2026
Definition of foul

Phrases Containing bawdy

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bawds
bawdy
bawdy house
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Cite this Entry

“Bawdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawdy. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of bawdy for Spanish Speakers

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