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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dirty word
In the larger construct, disinformation really is a dirty word.
—
Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
Even in Hollywood, A-listers like Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Alba, and Katy Perry are soft-launching their post-divorce boyfriends on Instagram and being cheered on for it, showing that maybe divorce—and the fact that a woman has a right to a full and happy life afterwards—is no longer a dirty word.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 14 Nov. 2025
The all-or-nothing approach that has taken hold in Washington, which treats compromise as a dirty word, is the root cause of the dysfunction.
—The Detroit News Editorial Board, Twin Cities, 6 Nov. 2025
The man never, never, never says a dirty word.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dirty word
Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
Even in Hollywood, A-listers like Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Alba, and Katy Perry are soft-launching their post-divorce boyfriends on Instagram and being cheered on for it, showing that maybe divorce—and the fact that a woman has a right to a full and happy life afterwards—is no longer a dirty word.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 14 Nov. 2025
The all-or-nothing approach that has taken hold in Washington, which treats compromise as a dirty word, is the root cause of the dysfunction.
—The Detroit News Editorial Board, Twin Cities, 6 Nov. 2025
The man never, never, never says a dirty word.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dirty word
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirty word
Noun
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The rise of the gig economy and remote work has finally broken the cubicle curse, giving us the freedom to answer emails from a mountain cabin or run a startup from a beachside bistro.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
6 Mar. 2026
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Pay multiple people from the crafts site Etsy to perform tarot readings, lift any existing curses and otherwise engage in witchcraft.—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Kennedy could be heard hurling swears at the Swedish team.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
23 Feb. 2026
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And Boring would be that much closer to its 90,000-rider pinkie-swear.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Still, for distributors and exhibitors in the United States, bringing foreign-language films to theaters sometimes seems like an act of philanthropy, while French sales agent grumble about the low sales prices.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2026
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Foreign language films, documentaries, cross pollination with their music artists, and more producing are all on the table.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dirty word.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirty%20word. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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