1
as in vulgarity
the quality or state of being obscene
the song couldn't be performed on the air due to the obscenity of the lyrics
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in curse
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
uttered a loud obscenity when he dropped the hammer on his toe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obscenity
On Florida college campuses, student attempts to speak out for Palestinian rights — including calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas — have been met with Islamophobia and obscenities in some instances, students say.
—
Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
People saw it not once, not twice, but over and over, frequently dressing up as the characters and hurling things — toast, rice, puns, obscenities — at the screen.
—Joe Lynch, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2025
On Saturday, McIlroy repeatedly had to step away from his golf ball as spectators shouted obscenities and personal insults at the Irishman.
—Jenna West, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
In addition to taking the guinea pigs, the perpetrators wrote obscenities and a racial slur on a whiteboard.
—Alexandra Hardle, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscenity
Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
People saw it not once, not twice, but over and over, frequently dressing up as the characters and hurling things — toast, rice, puns, obscenities — at the screen.
—Joe Lynch, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2025
On Saturday, McIlroy repeatedly had to step away from his golf ball as spectators shouted obscenities and personal insults at the Irishman.
—Jenna West, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
In addition to taking the guinea pigs, the perpetrators wrote obscenities and a racial slur on a whiteboard.
—Alexandra Hardle, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscenity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscenity
Noun
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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
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Songs marked explicit mean their lyrics include swear words or other vulgarities.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Her goal helped the club secure its first berth in the NWSL playoffs, snapping a ninth-place curse that had haunted the team since its debut in 2021.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
So begins a rollicking tale of superstition, a family curse and second chances.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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In fact, plenty of other things in your home surpass the toilet in terms of grossness.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Brain rot has become unavoidable, its grossness ubiquitous.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Visitors of years past swear by their trick-or-treating hauls from these affluent neighborhoods, specifically the homes of Marissa Meyer (Professorville), Mark Zuckerberg (Crescent Park) and Larry Page and Laurene Powell Jobs (Old Palo Alto).—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
21 Oct. 2025
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Does Taylor Swift swear on 'The Life of a Showgirl'?—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Hosts like Kristen Stewart, Sam Rockwell and Ariana Grande have all dropped uncensored profanity during their monologues or sketches.—
William Earl,
Variety,
19 Oct. 2025
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Insults and profanity were heard in a fan’s video of the exchange.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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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Owing to its appeal and acclaim, Pinjar was translated into eight other Indian and foreign languages, including English.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
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Features like automatic speech recognition, language translation, and image sorting all use networks of computers.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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As the Oxford English Dictionary notes, the expression not hardly is considered a vulgarism.—
NR Editors,
National Review,
16 Apr. 2020
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The British cringed over new American accents, coinages and vulgarisms.—
Time,
Time,
11 June 2019
Cite this Entry
“Obscenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscenity. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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