as in curse
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
I'm afraid I won't be much help on the trip—the only Spanish I know is a handful of dirty words
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Recent Examples of dirty word
There are a lot of people who see efficiency in agriculture as kind of a dirty word but efficiency saves resources.
—
Miami Herald, 10 July 2025
Laura Washington: Donald Trump achieves a notorious distinction in his first 100 days
DEI is under attack by Trump, who sees diversity as a dirty word, even a crime.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025
Compromise is not a dirty word.
—CBS News, 9 Mar. 2025
In many parts of the country, NAFTA is still a dirty word.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dirty word
Miami Herald, 10 July 2025
Laura Washington: Donald Trump achieves a notorious distinction in his first 100 days
DEI is under attack by Trump, who sees diversity as a dirty word, even a crime.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025
Compromise is not a dirty word.
—CBS News, 9 Mar. 2025
In many parts of the country, NAFTA is still a dirty word.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dirty word
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirty word
Noun
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Whether that money becomes a blessing or a curse may depend less on the number of zeros than on the method of transfer.—
Christina Binkley,
Robb Report,
11 Oct. 2025
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The Cubs fell behind, three games to one, but then went into curse-buster mode … and won Game 5 (at Wrigley), Game 6 (in Cleveland) and Game 7 (in Cleveland).—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Does Taylor Swift swear on 'The Life of a Showgirl'?—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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Don’t pretend the cure for coarse speech is a swear jar.—
Eric Preven,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The series has hit the Netflix Top 10 in all 93 countries that the company measures; Season 4 was the first-ever English-language series to cross 1 billion hours streamed on the platform, and continues to be the streamer’s third-most-popular English-language TV title.—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
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Befitting of JJJJound’s minimalist, premium design language, each pair is light on flair, letting the Speedcat’s iconic silhouette and high-quality materials do the heavy lifting here.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dirty word.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirty%20word. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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