dysphemism

Definition of dysphemismnext

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dysphemism
Noun
  • 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
  • Kennedy could be heard hurling swears at the Swedish team.
    Andrew Greif, NBC news, 23 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • As the Oxford English Dictionary notes, the expression not hardly is considered a vulgarism.
    NR Editors, National Review, 16 Apr. 2020
  • The British cringed over new American accents, coinages and vulgarisms.
    Time, Time, 11 June 2019
Noun
  • Ohtani was frustrated with his command against Colorado despite winning his last start, dropping a few expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic.
    CBS News, CBS News, 3 June 2026
  • Trump used expletives to convey his disapproval of Israel’s plans, which threatened to upend negotiations with Iran.
    Kevin Liptak, CNN Money, 2 June 2026
Noun
  • Ravishing and exhilarating, The Handmaiden is about both intimate love and crude obscenity, which Chan-wook expertly balances to complement each other well.
    Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
  • Politically, while there may have been the Ginsberg who was the heroic advocate for free expression in a 1956 California State Superior Court obscenity trial concerning Howl, there was also the Ginsberg who was a defender of NAMBLA in the 1980s (on first amendment grounds, but still).
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
Noun
  • Democrats use profanity to go viral.
    Nicole Russell, USA Today, 4 June 2026
  • These examples are among the more tame messages — many are laced with profanity and references to violence.
    Maven Navarro June 3, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 June 2026
Noun
  • The swearword wasn’t mentioned in the rest of the email.
    Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dysphemism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dysphemism. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster