as in vulgarity
the quality or state of being obscene
the bawdiness of the song makes it inappropriate for children
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
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Recent Examples of bawdiness
Eric Olson
september 23, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Hell’s Half-acre, the bawdy section of town, was thriving, the Texas Brewery opened in 1891, and Byer’s Opera House had brought burlesque to Cowtown.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bawdiness
Noun
Despite the heavy central theme of chronic illness, there’s a delicious bawdiness to Will There Ever Be Another You, a vulgar juvenilia evoking graffiti-tag genitals or the ding dong ditch scene from Billy Madison.
—Eric Olson
september 23, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
That’s because the musical path D’Angelo was headed on was light-years away from bawdy lover-boy balladry.
—Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Hell’s Half-acre, the bawdy section of town, was thriving, the Texas Brewery opened in 1891, and Byer’s Opera House had brought burlesque to Cowtown.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bawdiness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawdiness
Noun
-
The values are different now, the lifestyles, the accepted vulgarity, the manners, the view of what’s patriotic and what’s not, the concept of service.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
It is hoped that political ad campaigns would aim to lessen the meanness and divisiveness and vulgarity that have damaged our democracy.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The legislation would require social media platforms to estimate the age of users and exclude obscene content to children 16 years old or younger.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Apr. 2026
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The use of obscene or indecent clothing or signs will result in expulsion.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
According to a screenshot of the DMs in question, which TMZ obtained, the sender, who seemingly initiated the correspondence, sent a handful of suggestive messages to the Carpenter account.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
-
For now, however, the evidence remains suggestive rather than definitive.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
If an exclamation point only signified gore and grossness, this gothic rock opera would more than qualify.—
Rachel Simon,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The characters’ propensity for ugly faces, silliness and a bit of grossness too, stems from the portrayals of girlhood and young womanhood that appeal to them.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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One day, Dahlstrom made a vulgar joke in a lunchroom referencing oral sex and pubic hair, according to the employee.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Doncic claimed Bitadze directed a vulgar comment about Doncic’s family in Serbian toward the Lakers star guard.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The minibar brimmed with complimentary sodas, addictively spicy small-batch pimento cheese Lowcountry Kettle Chips, and lemon sugar cookies from Charleston’s Own.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
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If the kids are pushing for a Big Mac or Chick-fil-A spicy deluxe chicken sandwich, but the budget can’t support it, there’s a hack for that.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The other funnymen of the time—Milton Berle with his lewd suggestiveness, Jackie Gleason with his baleful roar—did the same shtick over and over.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Police are investigating reports that Lake Zurich High School students used artificial intelligence to generate pornographic images of classmates, district officials said.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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More than 100 students and parents from Lancaster Country Day School were in court to hear victims describe the shock of having to identify their own faces in pornographic photos to detectives.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bawdiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawdiness. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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