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
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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Baseball has always been a sport that believes in the occult — in juju and curses and superstitions.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
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Mike Russo writes that, in breaking their curse, the Wild may have their best shot at a title in franchise history.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
1 May 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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The language of civil rights will always be most appealing to political minorities in search of procedural arguments to temper or frustrate the will of the majority.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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In late March, Tijuana officials introduced an English-language app known as the Emergency Button, or Botón de Emergencia.—
Alexandra Mendoza,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dirty word.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirty%20word. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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