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
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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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Recent Examples of bawdy
Lawrence Lamont’s bawdy buddy comedy One of Them Days—in which Keke Palmer and SZA play best friends who spend a crazy day trying to scrape together $1500 in rent money—opened in January and stayed in theaters for more than two months before shifting to Netflix in early April.
—
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 May 2025
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson established themselves as something of a 21st century Abbott & Costello (or, at the very least, Cheech & Chong) with this bawdy 2005 smash directed and co-written by David Dobkin.
—Jason Bailey, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
What follows is an alternately hilarious, bawdy, and sad attempt to solve the former problem before the latter befalls her.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2025
There are weird, humiliating games, bawdy speeches, bursts of boozy laughter, and a punitive spirit of newlywed hazing.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bawdy
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 May 2025
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson established themselves as something of a 21st century Abbott & Costello (or, at the very least, Cheech & Chong) with this bawdy 2005 smash directed and co-written by David Dobkin.
—Jason Bailey, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
What follows is an alternately hilarious, bawdy, and sad attempt to solve the former problem before the latter befalls her.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2025
There are weird, humiliating games, bawdy speeches, bursts of boozy laughter, and a punitive spirit of newlywed hazing.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bawdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawdy
Adjective
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The use of obscene or profane language, personal attack, libel, slander, defamation, physical violence or the threat thereof, as determined by the presiding officer, shall constitute a disturbing a lawful meeting.—
Sharon Coolidge,
The Enquirer,
3 July 2025
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Meanwhile, the Astors, who had amassed a nearly obscene amount of real estate in New York City, became the country’s first multimillionaires by smuggling opium.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
3 July 2025
Adjective
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Severe or repeated vomiting and sudden onset chest pain are two parts of what’s called the Mackler Triad, the trio of signs suggestive of Boerhaave syndrome.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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According to the complaint, Perry did not take no for an answer, following up with suggestive text messages and other comments.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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The comics were often dismissed as a vulgar form, but the bad joke of our superhero-movie culture is that most of it is a vulgarization of the comics.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
8 July 2025
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Nan’s rebellion was never loud or vulgar but always quietly confident and effortlessly elegant.—
Felicity Carter,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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Produced by Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery in Nashville, Belle Meade Bourbon is a high-rye bourbon that offers a rich and spicy profile.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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Get the party started with these sweet and spicy chicken wings.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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The couple became a symbol of marital stability in the freewheeling rock world, even as Charlie drummed for a band that was the most famously ribald band in music history.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
19 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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Her somewhat implausible problem is that her bad feelings—her irritation, her boredom—never register as such because of her beauty, her wealth, and her pedigree; so great is her beauty that even her nastiest moods feel like a sunny glow to others.—
Claire Jarvis,
New Yorker,
8 July 2025
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But use kind humor, not nasty or deprecating humor.—
Davia Temin,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
Adjective
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Cats often express their dismay at being excluded from your travel plans by peeing in your luggage, but of course, cat urine is not the only thing that can cause a foul odor in your suitcase.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 June 2025
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Police responded to a 911 call about a foul odor, and found Burgos’ apartment door unlocked in the building that offers affordable units for senior citizens.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Use the packing cubes to separate clean and dirty clothes for the duration of your cruise.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Travel + Leisure,
7 July 2025
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Employees get their hands dirty in the intro course by learning how to prompt, then move to more advanced courses on building custom GPTs and agents.—
Melissa Daimler,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawdy. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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