1
as in pornographic
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
obscene gestures are totally inappropriate in the workplace
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disgusting
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
that ugly new store is really an obscene bit of architecture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obscene
Deputies found and arrested Betancourt, who was sentenced March 21 to six years and eight months in state prison for felony child abuse causing injury, felony domestic violence, witness intimidation, and possession of obscene matter depicting persons under age 18 engaged in lewd conduct.
—
Bay City News Service, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2025
Lovable, charming and generous, yet temperamental, arrogant and obscene.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 11 Apr. 2025
For others, pedestrianism was an appealing shortcut to fame or money in an era of expanding celebrity, an obscene gesture toward increasingly sedentary work life, or even a media boost.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Mar. 2025
Depardieu allegedly used obscene language with her and was pulled away from her by bodyguards, according to the AP.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscene
Bay City News Service, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2025
Lovable, charming and generous, yet temperamental, arrogant and obscene.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 11 Apr. 2025
For others, pedestrianism was an appealing shortcut to fame or money in an era of expanding celebrity, an obscene gesture toward increasingly sedentary work life, or even a media boost.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Mar. 2025
Depardieu allegedly used obscene language with her and was pulled away from her by bodyguards, according to the AP.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscene
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscene
Adjective
-
The fridge was smelly and disgusting before it was replaced about a week later.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2025
-
But that’s no excuse for using this disgusting word.—
Tommy McArdle,
People.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The comments in screen shots of the chat room were demeaning and vulgar – as were the texts from the anonymous messenger who had sent her the images.—
Yoonjung Seo and Mike Valerio,
CNN Money,
25 Apr. 2025
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Where once was the vulgar, now lies the Vulgate, a common relatable almost religious experience that all at Barclays seemed to feel.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The biggest storyline in the series, however, has been all of the ugly hits and bad blood between the two state rivals.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Brinkley in her book describes one ugly scene when Joel, deep in his cups, ate a heap of spaghetti directly from a large pan on the stove, then vehemently kicked everyone out of the house for eating his pasta.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
By the time Brunson and Hart were cleared to check back in, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau had a decision to make: call his final timeout, intentionally foul, or wait for a dead ball to make the subs.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2025
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However, the way this is happening has the vibe of last year’s midseason adjustment, when the NBA decided to enforce foul rules differently and turned the game more physical with time still to go in the regular season.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City Before the turn of the year, Manchester City were stuck in an awful rut.—
Sam Tighe,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
-
The grandson of the benefactor whose maiden name christens the auditorium itself (The Fish Theater, which spawns a stream of awful fish puns as long as a whale), Jack was born into ballet and defends dance with every fiber of his being.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Mingyang took the center of the Octagon from the beginning, landed hard leg kicks, and opened a nasty gash on Smith’s forehead with a step-in elbow.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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That is exactly what the Giants need: nastier players on both sides of the ball.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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And once the sickening jolts of the combat takeoff had ended and Bui slowly grew accustomed to the noise and the pressure of the C-130, the taste of KFC stopped his crying.—
Jennifer Brookland,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2025
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To take but one example, the riots that convulsed swatches of England and Northern Ireland last year were fueled by social media accounts claiming sickening crimes by immigrants, amplified by right-wing accounts.—
David Robert Grimes,
Scientific American,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The new house is now disgustingly filthy and filled with trash and the smell of cat urine.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2025
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The common areas of the building have been filthy, too: trash all around the grounds and dirty stairwells.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obscene.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscene. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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