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
Plastic is a dirty word here, and the resort has virtually banned it throughout.
—
Chris Schalkx, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2026
Regime change isn’t a dirty word when the regime is among the most vicious in the world.
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for dirty word
Chris Schalkx, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2026
Regime change isn’t a dirty word when the regime is among the most vicious in the world.
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for dirty word
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirty word
Noun
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Curse or no curse, the @nyknicks have NO BUSINESS losing this series to the @ATLHawks — no matter how good that young team is.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
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The home crowd in hockey can be a blessing and a curse.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The event finds more than 20,000 people participating in an annual bar crawl throughout the city while dressed in their best holiday attire, tackiest Santa Claus costumes, and ugliest Christmas swears.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
15 Apr. 2026
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Kennedy could be heard hurling swears at the Swedish team.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Across collectors, cultural institutions and design circles, perfume bottles are increasingly being recognized not as packaging, but as artifacts — objects that preserve history, identity and the visual language of their time.—
Sudhir Gupta,
Rolling Stone,
27 Apr. 2026
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The milquetoast nature of the statement — with its measured language and nonexistent call to action — and the broader absence of real accountability have nagged at me for weeks.—
Uzma Rentia,
STAT,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dirty word.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirty%20word. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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