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
That’s because the musical path D’Angelo was headed on was light-years away from bawdy lover-boy balladry.
—
Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Hell’s Half-acre, the bawdy section of town, was thriving, the Texas Brewery opened in 1891, and Byer’s Opera House had brought burlesque to Cowtown.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Nov. 2025
Australian playwright Tony McNamara has turned his side hustle as a screenwriter into a blessing for Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite), and viewers of The Great, his bawdy historical farce for Hulu, can attest to his love of layered, lacerating insults.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for bawdy
Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Hell’s Half-acre, the bawdy section of town, was thriving, the Texas Brewery opened in 1891, and Byer’s Opera House had brought burlesque to Cowtown.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Nov. 2025
Australian playwright Tony McNamara has turned his side hustle as a screenwriter into a blessing for Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite), and viewers of The Great, his bawdy historical farce for Hulu, can attest to his love of layered, lacerating insults.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for bawdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawdy
Adjective
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Karen Read filed her lawsuit against Canton and the MSP not only to reveal shockingly obscene and racist text messages between key cops investigating her — but also to relitigate the defense theory of conspiracy to frame her.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
7 June 2026
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The Seleção has been knocked out in the quarterfinals in four of the last five tournaments and finished fourth in 2014, which featured an obscene 7-1 drubbing against Germany in the semifinal.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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The messages between Johnson and Duffey in 2024 revealed the two men used suggestive language.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
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First, Apple breezed through a new feature in the cycle tracking app that warns users of patterns that might be suggestive perimenopause or an underlying health condition.—
Mario Aguilar,
STAT,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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Apparently some fans were using some vulgar language toward Brunson in Game 1.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
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Doolan also received several emails calling her a vulgar word that typically refers to women.—
Maven Navarro
June 3,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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Culinary adventures in this city offer sweet, spicy, sour and salty flavors across famous dishes that can cost less than $5.—
Avni Trivedi,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
-
My first root beer felt like a spicy cola and a big secret I’d unraveled.—
Julie Lin,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 June 2026
Adjective
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There is plenty of pornographic decoration in contemporary popular culture, but very little of it is consequential.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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Authorities alleged that their tactics included intimidating the women, placing them under constant surveillance and forcing them to perform pornographic acts that were then shared on social media.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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Beulah picks up the story from there, spilling the colorful and ribald saga of how her family — originally named Sullivan, from Ireland — migrated west and got caught in the middle of the Texas revolution.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
12 June 2026
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In contrast to this ribald directness, Kokopeli’s playsets feature characters who appear detached and disconnected.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Yet thieves have found a nasty workaround.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
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The nasty spat culminated in April when Shell agreed to resign as president of Paramount Skydance to concentrate on his legal headache.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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Then left fielder Alex Call ran into the retaining wall in foul territory to catch Edgar Quero’s fly ball for the final out of the inning.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
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From the early challenge that reversed Wembanyama's foul, to its 3-point shooting, absolutely everything has gone San Antonio's way in Game 4.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bawdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawdy. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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