as in grossness
the quality or state of being obscene
the lewdness of the material on that website makes it inappropriate for children
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Recent Examples of lewdness
This is a distinct category from the Mile-High Clubbers, whose lewdness is much more inappropriate.
—
Christopher Elliott, Dallas Morning News, 14 Jan. 2026
Claud has two convictions for indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years of age and one conviction for open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025
Christopher Elliott, Dallas Morning News, 14 Jan. 2026
Claud has two convictions for indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years of age and one conviction for open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lewdness
Noun
-
He is charged with open and lewd grossness.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
-
In fact, plenty of other things in your home surpass the toilet in terms of grossness.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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With its insistent, obsessive patter, not to mention its unrelenting commitment to in-your-face vulgarity, Sherman’s comedy is hardly for everyone.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
6 Dec. 2025
-
The artist’s way, of course, is sincere, even if in the case of Dracula, sincerity begets just under three hours of unsparing cultural commentary and full goose bozo vulgarity.—
Andy Crump,
Time,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Why did so many people in states with Democrat-majority governments want to keep the COVID emergency going, want it so badly that all rational arguments offered in support of reopening were ignored or answered with obscenity-laden accusations of grandma-killing?—
Susan Shelley,
Oc Register,
7 Jan. 2026
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Pandering obscenity is a felony and could mean eight years in prison and a $15,000 fine for McCollister if he is convicted.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
28 Dec. 2025
Noun
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There’s some rudeness, aggressive conversations, and crudeness, but nothing too over the top.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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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
Noun
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Marie is disciplined and principled, while her rebellious daughter prides herself on breaking the rules and reveling in lasciviousness.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Essence,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
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That has given the agency the legal ability to regulate such things as indecency and obscenity, as well as commercials in children’s programming.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
18 Jan. 2026
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Central City is asking a judge to put an end to acts of public indecency at a strip club along its historic Main Street, the latest move in a yearslong debate between it and the club’s owner.—
Justin Wingerter,
Denver Post,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There is plenty of coarseness in American arenas totally unrelated to MAGA or Trumpism, of course.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
11 Oct. 2025
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An alkaline compound, baking soda is a non-toxic cleaner with a coarseness that works wonders for scrubbing grime, removing difficult stains, and deodorizing stinky odors.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lewdness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lewdness. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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