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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bawdy
American Pie is both funnier and bawdier than Porky's, though that 1981 romp gets points for Kim Cattrall's outrageous orgasm scene.
—
Michelle Kung, EW.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Nettie Jones’ Fish Tales, recently reissued from FSG, is riotous, bawdy, horny, alarming, funny, gross, and frank.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
Raitt has a mischievous, bawdy sense of humor.
—Nancy Walecki, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2025
Nearly every inch of the bar’s narrow interior is plastered with glowing beer logo signs, neon strip lights and posters jeering with bawdy bar jokes and wisecracks.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bawdy
Michelle Kung, EW.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Nettie Jones’ Fish Tales, recently reissued from FSG, is riotous, bawdy, horny, alarming, funny, gross, and frank.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
Raitt has a mischievous, bawdy sense of humor.
—Nancy Walecki, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2025
Nearly every inch of the bar’s narrow interior is plastered with glowing beer logo signs, neon strip lights and posters jeering with bawdy bar jokes and wisecracks.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bawdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawdy
Adjective
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Banners containing commercial, political or obscene material, or that block guest views.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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Just another week in the world of Ball, who was fined $35,000 by the NBA on Monday for making an obscene gesture in the fourth quarter of the Hornets’ 144-117 loss to Miami.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Small settings changes can make a big difference in reducing exposure to harmful or suggestive content.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Nov. 2025
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Some of the women complained about unwanted touches, flirting, kisses and suggestive comments.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Who decides what’s decorous and what’s vulgar?—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
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The president has been targeting Jeffries online with offensive and vulgar memes since the pair first had an unsuccessful sit-down meeting in the Oval Office just before the shutdown.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Eragon has a different approach altogether with its spicy amber profile.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
6 Nov. 2025
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Dishes include banana bread pudding or spinach frittata with goat's cheese for breakfast and pork shoulder with figs, or Orecchiette with spicy vodka sauce for lunch and dinner.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The waste feels more flagrant with every pornographic shot of a Chanel bag, vintage car or over-the-top ensemble.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
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Opponents of the books describe them as pornographic.—
Adrienne Davis,
jsonline.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Over the years, the notoriously ribald Stern has interviewed hundreds of actors, comedians, music artists, athletes, politicians and more on his show.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
8 Sep. 2025
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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
Adjective
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The growth of passive investing, through index funds found in the 401(k) accounts of average Americans, has propped up the stock market while also potentially setting it up for a nasty fall.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
7 Nov. 2025
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Instead of this stuff that's raised overseas that's done in ways that doesn't have any checks, that it's got polluted water, it's being fed really nasty stuff, full of antibiotics, full of chemicals.—
Dan Morrison,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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This mostly came from a high-profile matchup against the Lakers in which Rui Hachimura defended Wemby well and Marcus Smart flopped his way into a couple of offensive foul calls against Wembanyama.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
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The album’s messy yet seamless scatter-spray of instruments—cello, hand shakers, piano—gets torn apart by the foulest plumes of bass.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawdy. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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