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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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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Indonesia, with the world’s biggest Muslim population, has strict rules that ban the sharing online of content deemed obscene.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
10 Jan. 2026
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Sylvie's storylines are ridiculous, her wardrobe obscene, her audacity unparalleled.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The agents’ demand that Good exit her vehicle is suggestive of an intent to take her into custody.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
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At the same time, there is no denying that Rodriguez’s 23-page complaint filed December 25 is full of potentially damning text message screen grabs, remarks about oral sex and other suggestive conversation from an allegedly predatory Perry.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
26 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Although the Ripken card launched many conspiracy theories as to whether the inclusion of its vulgar phrase was truly a mistake or a Fleer marketing ploy, there is a long history of errors making it through quality control in sports card production.—
Tyler Holzhammer,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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The joke swap during last year's Christmas episode went to some particularly jaw-dropping places after Che made Jost read a vulgar joke about Johansson.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
21 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Rye whiskey is the drier and spicier cousin of bourbon with an herbaceous edge, an edge which (as with the Sazerac, La Louisiane and others) is given a few dozen exclamation points with a dash of absinthe.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
10 Jan. 2026
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This creamy, cheesy pasta dish gets its extra spicy flavor from Andouille sausage, pepper Jack cheese, and Cajun seasoning.—
Nellah Bailey McGough,
Southern Living,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Until then, the only limits on their selections were Vimeo’s standard terms of service, which prohibit content that incites violence or qualifies as pornographic.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
22 Dec. 2025
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Under a new law, Florida began requiring age verification checks for visitors to pornographic websites, notes Paul Bischoff, editor of Comparitech, a site that reviews personal cybersecurity software.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
17 Dec. 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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With about six minutes remaining in the second half, fans reacted unfavorably to a foul call against Spartans forward Jaxson Kohler.—
Devon Henderson,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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But the Warriors were unable to also overcome Curry piling up four fourth-quarter fouls, which led to his first foul-out since 2021.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bawdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawdy. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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