Synonyms of bawdy

bawdy

adjective

ˈbȯ-dē 

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

• obscene
• vulgar
• pornographic
• nasty
• foul
• dirty
• filthy
• suggestive
• ribald
• raunchy
• crude
• gross
• naughty
• lascivious
• lewd
• indecent
• blue
• smutty
• offensive
• profane
• unacceptable
• coarse
• unpleasant
• obnoxious
• trashy
• locker-room
• unprintable
• disgusting
• abusive
• impure
• undesirable
• unwanted
• wanton
• stag
• X-rated
• infamous
• broad
• gutter
• salacious
• porny
• wicked
• scatological
• racy
• perverted
• risqué
• indecorous
• soft
• indelicate
• earthy
• depraved
• kinky
• immodest
• barnyard
• salty
• objectionable
• coarse-grained
• off
• perverse
• low
• gamy
• unbecoming
• off-color
• revolting
• unwelcome
• repulsive
• loathsome
• repugnant
• distasteful
• scurrilous
• louche
• repellent
• abhorrent
• exceptionable
• reprehensible
• censurable
• atrocious
• hard-core
• blameworthy
• blamable
• debasing
• soft-core

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wholesome
• clean
• puritanical
• prudish
• Victorian
• decent
• proper
• staid
• polite
• correct
• genteel
• prim
• decorous
• nice
• respectable
• innocuous
• G-rated
• appropriate
• pleasant
• priggish
• acceptable
• desirable
• inoffensive
• agreeable
• straitlaced
• suitable
• nonobscene
• welcome
• pleasing
• meet
• pure
• seemly
• becoming
• perfect
• virginal
• fit
• immaculate
• spotless
• endorsed
• approved
• sanctioned

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

• suggestive
• spicy
• ribald
• vulgar
• lewd
• blue
• racy
• naughty
• risqué
• salty
• off
• gamy
• off-color
• crude
• obscene
• pornographic
• coarse
• nasty
• raunchy
• foul
• filthy
• warm
• dirty
• lascivious
• indecent
• earthy
• smutty
• gross
• barnyard
• prurient
• coarse-grained
• locker-room
• unprintable
• leering
• indecorous
• indelicate
• unpublishable
• immodest
• stag
• X-rated
• porny
• gutter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• clean
• decent
• innocuous
• inoffensive
• puritanical
• G-rated
• prudish
• Victorian
• staid
• priggish
• nonobscene
• prim
• proper
• polite
• genteel
• decorous
• correct
• respectable
• nice
• straitlaced
• seemly

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bawdy

Since then, Sarah Ruden’s excellent (and much bawdier) new translation has come out. — Literary Hub, 19 May 2026

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

Phrases Containing bawdy

• bawdy house