1
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
bystanders were shocked by the lewd behavior of the couple in the park
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in passionate
having a strong sexual desire
a lewd 18th-century nobleman who left behind hundreds of erotic love letters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in suggestive
hinting at or intended to call to mind matters regarded as indecent
a nearby diner kept telling lewd jokes until we told him to shut up
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 lewd
In Osage County District Court on Thursday, Morris, 64, admitted to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child.
—
Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
The lewd conduct allegation has not resulted in charges, but in court, prosecutors said there is probable cause and indicated that charges could be filed in the future.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 3 Oct. 2025
The Herald and other outlets wrote extensively about Doherty’s allegations until he was sentenced to 15 years behind bars in 2013 after pleading no contest to six counts of lewd and lascivious acts upon a child.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
McIlroy won both of his matches Saturday while hearing lewd insults about his personal life, homophobic slurs and a steady stream of expletives during his backswing.
—Brody Miller, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lewd
Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
The lewd conduct allegation has not resulted in charges, but in court, prosecutors said there is probable cause and indicated that charges could be filed in the future.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 3 Oct. 2025
The Herald and other outlets wrote extensively about Doherty’s allegations until he was sentenced to 15 years behind bars in 2013 after pleading no contest to six counts of lewd and lascivious acts upon a child.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
McIlroy won both of his matches Saturday while hearing lewd insults about his personal life, homophobic slurs and a steady stream of expletives during his backswing.
—Brody Miller, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lewd
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lewd
Adjective
-
Banners or signs may not be commercial in nature or obscene, or cause any disturbance to other fans.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Players around the league have been receiving weekly fines for unsportsmanlike conduct, player-safety violations, and obscene gestures.—
Cole Sullivan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Alongside contemporaries including Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Maxwell, the neo-soul class focused on recapturing the live, thick instrumentation, rich songwriting and weighted, passionate delivery of its nominal genre predecessor.—
Trevor Anderson,
Billboard,
22 Oct. 2025
-
For viewers in the US interested in Canadian sports, CTV provides a window into some of the country’s most passionate sporting traditions alongside major American league coverage.—
Jenzia Burgos,
StyleCaster,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
But as multiple advertising world sources note, Apple has hired its fair share of TV and streaming video veterans over the past couple of years, which, when combined with this newfound desire to cut deals to expand Apple TV’s reach, is certainly suggestive of broader ambitions.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Competing in a new space The upcoming feature puts OpenAI in direct competition with Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot, which has leaned into suggestive and anime-style interactions.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
OpenAI included numerous guardrails with Sora, including moderation, restrictions on scammy, violent and pornographic material, watermarks and controls over how one's likeness is used.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Some states have instituted requirements for websites with adult or pornographic content to verify visitors' age before granting access, although tech experts have pointed out VPNs can be used to get around those guardrails.—
Arpan Lobo,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In January 2018, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and Keurig Green Mountain announced a merger, providing investors unique exposure to the fastest growing hot and cold beverage markets and their respective retail channels.—
Kenneth Squire,
CNBC,
18 Oct. 2025
-
It’s served hot, and the proper way to eat it is to squeeze some lemon juice, sprinkle it with spices like sumac and Aleppo pepper, and pile on a handful of parsley.—
Katie Nadworny,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Glade Plug-In Apple Cinnamon Refills, 5-Pack This fragrance is a little sweet, a little spicy, and 100 percent comforting — definitely not your typical overpowering air freshener.—
Jeaneen Russell,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Rally’s is launching two new spicy Western-style burgers in California.—
Carlos Rico,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The president has been targeting Jeffries online with offensive and vulgar memes since the pair first had an unsuccessful sit-down meeting in the Oval Office just before the shutdown.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
-
One room cracked up at a vulgar joke about a woman’s behind, while another went for an outrageous and surreal midfilm montage — but each bit was made genuinely funnier by the dozens of people gasping and wheezing over it.—
Robert Rubsam,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Timothy Scott Jaekel, 52, was arrested on seven counts of committing lewd or lascivious acts with a child younger than 14 years old.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The Herald and other outlets wrote extensively about Doherty’s allegations until he was sentenced to 15 years behind bars in 2013 after pleading no contest to six counts of lewd and lascivious acts upon a child.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lewd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lewd. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share