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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The incident was captured on the broadcast, and after the game, Duran explained that his obscene gesture was in response to a fan crossing the line.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
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The most common crime investigated by the unit was the distribution of obscene material depicting minors, followed by elder abuse and rape.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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For example, do different networks rate explicit language, suggestive language and violent programming similarly, or are some networks prone to provide a lesser rating than others?—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
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On Chinese social media, some people said that K-pop — with its suggestive dance moves — is not appropriate for children.—
Ken Moritsugu,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The word was considered so vulgar that it was left out of early dictionaries and was rarely printed, though Adams says people were certainly using it.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2026
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One day, Dahlstrom made a vulgar joke in a lunchroom referencing oral sex and pubic hair, according to the employee.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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No one’s workday was ever overturned by a spicy Cook tweet.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
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The postgame scene eloquently explained why this series has become greasy, if not spicy.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This material included thousands of pornographic deepfakes that Kamnik had generated using AI tools.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
9 Apr. 2026
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Police are investigating reports that Lake Zurich High School students used artificial intelligence to generate pornographic images of classmates, district officials said.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Some thought that Kubrick’s adaptation of Thackeray should have been more like Tony Richardson’s Best Picture–winning 1963 Henry Fielding adaptation Tom Jones — earthy, ribald, comic.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
31 Dec. 2025
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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
Adjective
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The duo made up for the absence of Wembanyama, who did not clear concussion protocol after a nasty fall knocked him out early from a Game 2 loss.—
Christian Clark,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Lomu did not fit the typical profile Mike Vrabel seeks in linemen, players with a nasty streak and fierce play demeanor.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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After neighbors in October 2023 reported foul odors from the Penrose funeral home, officials arrested the couple in November 2023, in Oklahoma.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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An investigation into the funeral home began in October 2023 when neighbors reported a foul odor to the Fremont County Sheriff's Office.—
Brian Sherrod,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bawdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawdy. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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