indecency

noun

(ˌ)in-ˈdē-sᵊn(t)-sē How to pronounce indecency (audio)
Definition of indecencynext
1
as in vulgarity
the quality or state of being obscene parents complained about the indecency of the song's lyrics

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unfitness
the quality or state of not being socially proper that a remark of such indisputable indecency was uttered at a meeting of the school board made everyone gasp

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of indecency Some of the city's health standards will also be revised to add exceptions to existing indecency laws. — Aki Nace, CBS News, 25 June 2026 Donaldson, 63, was found guilty at Newry Crown Court of one count of rape, four counts of gross indecency and 13 indecent assault charges involving two girls from 1985 to 2008. — ABC News, 22 June 2026 Egypt has arrested and prosecuted gays and lesbians on the basis of vague indecency laws and has cracked down on any outward expressions of Pride, especially the waving of rainbow flags. — Andrew Destin, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2026 On this day in 1895, Wilde was convicted of gross indecency for his homosexual relationships—a crime in Victorian England. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for indecency
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indecency
  1. vulgarity
  2. unfitness
  3. grossness
  4. disrespect
  5. obscenity
  6. unseemliness
  7. lewdness
  8. suggestiveness
Noun
  • The once-vaunted values of public life are now reduced to the lower standards of private life—venality, vulgarity, rudeness, incontinence, and ignorance.
    — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
  • Benoit delights in language as much as her heroine, weaving Regency-era slang throughout and appending a chapter-by-chapter glossary of vulgarities.
    — Angelina Mazza, Vulture, 19 June 2026
Definition of vulgarity
Noun
  • Musk attempted to color Altman as a uniquely unsuitable supervisor of this technology, but this invariably invited further scrutiny into his own abject unfitness for the role.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
  • The real issue is Alvero’s unfitness for his office.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
Definition of unfitness
Noun
  • But Paddy’s isn’t Sudz, and the Gang’s efforts to soft-pedal their antics to be more in line with those mainstream bars devolved into typical Sunny-style hostility and off-putting grossness.
    — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026
  • All your Dad has to do is fill it and drink—the microfilter membrane will do the rest by removing chlorine odors, dirt, bacteria, and any other grossness floating around in there.
    — Francesca Krempa, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026
Definition of grossness
Noun
  • The public weighted plain disrespect – how people are treated, apart from the economics – significantly more heavily than the philosophers did.
    — ESMT Berlin, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In the millions upon millions of words written and said about this World Cup, who has shown disrespect to players from Haiti, or any other smaller nation?
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of disrespect
Noun
  • Since the middle of the twentieth century, societies around the globe have undergone a collective revolution in standards and attitudes towards obscenity and immorality.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Basin then turned toward another beachgoer, shouted an obscenity and resumed arguing with members of the group.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of obscenity
Noun
  • No, the Heat would never go there, a flat-out, from-the-start commitment to lottery odds no matter the unseemliness of it all.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026
Definition of unseemliness
Noun
  • The writing, by Estelle Hoy and Justine Gelfman, was sassy and sharp, and the narrative exuded a whimsical lewdness that cut against the production’s overall slapstick sensibility.
    — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • He was charged with reckless endangerment, graffiti, public lewdness, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, the NYPD said, according to NBC News.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of lewdness
Noun
  • The bucket quickly went viral for its not-safe-for-work suggestiveness.
    — Greta Cross, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • The other funnymen of the time—Milton Berle with his lewd suggestiveness, Jackie Gleason with his baleful roar—did the same shtick over and over.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
Definition of suggestiveness

Browse Nearby Words

indebtedness
indecency
indecent
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Cite this Entry

“Indecency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indecency. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of indecency for Spanish Speakers

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