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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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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Beside one of those blandly obscene bidets.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
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But the show avoided an FCC probe as the West Coast delay was censored, and the East Coast broadcast aired after the 6am-10pm window during which obscene content is prohibited on broadcast TV and radio.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This period also saw Husain exploring female forms, including images of Hindu goddesses like Durga and Lakshmi, sometimes in suggestive or erotic poses.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
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Even more suggestive of charter value, Rick Ware and Legacy Motor Club have battled in court over the sale of a charter for $45 million.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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One room cracked up at a vulgar joke about a woman’s behind, while another went for an outrageous and surreal midfilm montage — but each bit was made genuinely funnier by the dozens of people gasping and wheezing over it.—
Robert Rubsam,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Glancing around the standing-room-only party, filled with joyful hugs and happy chatter as guests drank spicy margaritas and nibbled on fries in paper cones printed with quotes from the book, a dazed Brown smiled.—
Hadley Meares,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
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Best said that raw purees of garlic, onion, and ginger are spicy and pungent.—
Kathleen Ferraro,
Verywell Health,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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OpenAI included numerous guardrails with Sora, including moderation, restrictions on scammy, violent and pornographic material, watermarks and controls over how one's likeness is used.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
10 Oct. 2025
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Some states have instituted requirements for websites with adult or pornographic content to verify visitors' age before granting access, although tech experts have pointed out VPNs can be used to get around those guardrails.—
Arpan Lobo,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 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 human body holds several effective hiding spots that some of the world's nastiest viruses have discovered - like the eyes and the testes - that are beyond the reach of the immune system.—
NPR,
NPR,
24 Oct. 2025
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Another interesting point is that nasty anti-Trump name calling seemed toned down following the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Davidson’s condition, which leads him to make foul-mouthed outbursts, was barely understood at the time and was the source of misunderstandings, bullying, and harassment.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
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Earning an Emmy and a SAG Ensemble Award for his early 2000s role in Fox’s Ally McBeal, MacNicol earned another Emmy nomination for his work as foul-mouthed New Hampshire political power player Jeff Kane on HBO’s Veep in 2019.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawdy. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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