bawdy

adjective

ˈbȯ-dē How to pronounce bawdy (audio)
Definition of bawdynext
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

Relevance

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bawdy With the candy-floss hair and knock-‘em-out curves, Dolly Parton has made a living off her bawdy, larger-than-life image. — Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026 What started as an idea for a variety show about her life in late 2017 became a bawdy, self-deprecating song-and-dance extravaganza following her arrest that Christmas Eve. — Luisa Opalesky, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 The potentially odorous oxfords and bawdy boots come on the heels of another viral foot sensation. — Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 26 June 2026 Since then, Sarah Ruden’s excellent (and much bawdier) new translation has come out. — Literary Hub, 19 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for bawdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawdy
  1. obscene
  2. suggestive
  3. vulgar
  4. spicy
  5. pornographic
  6. ribald
  7. nasty
  8. foul
Adjective
  • Those images are said to include an adult man identified by witnesses as Markle with a nude prepubescent girl among other obscene materials.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Facing a Carolina defense that fired its coordinator, the Broncos need to secure an early lead — not a crazy idea given that Sean Payton dispatches NFC South opponents with an impersonal contempt that’s almost obscene — and let the defense eat.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of obscene
Adjective
  • The effect dissipates somewhat whenever Cahyono resorts to less suggestive, more blatantly surreal imagery.
    — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Though revealing, his version of naked dressing was tantalizingly suggestive rather than explicitly bare.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of suggestive
Adjective
  • Please do not waste your sympathy on the misguided and vulgar notion that spending loads of money is a prerequisite for a lovely wedding or meaningful reception.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Taylor describes inappropriate physical touch, as well as the knight cornering her and saying vulgar things.
    — Alessandra Schade, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of vulgar
Adjective
  • The first spirit asks for a spicy home brew under the floorboards.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The evening begins with an actually spicy pani puri mezcalita and masala popcorn.
    — Mehr Singh, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of spicy
Adjective
  • Egyptian courts have tried blocking pornographic websites, but private online access remains widespread.
    — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
  • On the day of the $50 million demand, a WeChat chat on one of her phones shows pornographic images arriving and being sent back with Victim-1’s face grafted on, the complaint says.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of pornographic
Adjective
  • Flagrantly practicing an especially ribald strain of cringe comedy that brushes several third rails, often simultaneously, the show could have been a disastrous gambit.
    — Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Despite the ribald phrasing, this kind of question is not entirely uncommon at Memphis’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.
    — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026
Definition of ribald
Adjective
  • Surely, though, it is not lost on the audience that this play opens in the middle of a strikingly nasty political campaign to elect members of the Chicago school board, warring Democrats all.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Someone who hung up on your problem is unlikely to listen to a nasty critique and vow to reform.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of nasty
Adjective
  • Feast on fresh fruits, pastries, cold cuts, omelettes, and traditional foul mudammas while traversing the ancient waterway.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Who hasn’t airballed a foul shot in front of a Catholic school auditorium filled with 50 people on a Saturday morning?
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of foul

Phrases Containing bawdy

Browse Nearby Words

bawds
bawdy
bawdy house
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bawdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawdy. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wabi-sabi

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All