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
-
There are no great surprises from here on out, though the sheer, lusty grossness of the fallout is occasionally startling.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
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If an exclamation point only signified gore and grossness, this gothic rock opera would more than qualify.—
Rachel Simon,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Nestled between the layers is a genuinely heartfelt story that blooms from beneath all the aesthetic and verbal vulgarity, thus making innate, and intuitive, his ongoing, ever-evolving manifesto on the state of things.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
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In addition, prosecutors say swastikas, antisemitic slogans and vulgarity were spray-painted on pillars underneath M-53 and Canal, a brick wall near a business and an electrical box at a second business.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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While the council remained inside to finish the meeting, including approving a local emergency declaration, police were outside where a small mob gathered, yelling obscenities at the officers.—
Victoria Le,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
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Across the state, officers directed obscenities, insults and threats at students just before or after using physical force, records and video footage show.—
Clare Amari,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
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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On this day in 1895, Wilde was convicted of gross indecency for his homosexual relationships—a crime in Victorian England.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
18 May 2026
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Though her efforts garnered her hate mail, death threats, and court charges of indecency, EXPORT remained undeterred.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
15 May 2026
Noun
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But many seemingly urbane texts also benefited from the intellectual and moral coarseness of their times.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
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The term plant texture refers to the fineness or coarseness, roughness or smoothness, heaviness or lightness of a particular plant.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lewdness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lewdness. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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