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
In one of the incidents, someone spray painted an obscenity believed to be directed at Musk before being chased away by a security guard, according to a Loveland police affidavit.
—
Colleen Slevin, The Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2025
Was it manager Ruud van Nistelrooy mouthing obscenities at his players (and apologies to the lipreaders among you for the gif at the top of today’s TAFC)?
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Yet the movie also contains, by my count, more than a dozen significant obscenities, as well as enough death to scar the Bluey crowd for life.
—Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Mar. 2025
Before some of you Jets fans direct obscenities in my direction, hear me out for a minute.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscenity
Colleen Slevin, The Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2025
Was it manager Ruud van Nistelrooy mouthing obscenities at his players (and apologies to the lipreaders among you for the gif at the top of today’s TAFC)?
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Yet the movie also contains, by my count, more than a dozen significant obscenities, as well as enough death to scar the Bluey crowd for life.
—Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Mar. 2025
Before some of you Jets fans direct obscenities in my direction, hear me out for a minute.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscenity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscenity
Noun
-
Lashing out from the White House, Mr. Trump used a vulgarity to accuse Mr. Xi and Mr. Lam of plotting to exploit the United States.—
Ann Scott Tyson,
Christian Science Monitor,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Those incidents range from keying swastikas to spray-painting other vulgarities.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
After turning undead and hiding her bite wound, Mary easily gets permission to re-enter the building, and quickly seduces Stack, before murdering him and infecting him with the vampire curse.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Maybe that’s more blessing than curse in our age of baldly allegorical horror movies.—
A.A. Dowd,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Is this the kind of situation where mild swears seem generally used?—
Stacey Colino,
Time,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Could a nice good swear on the pitch to express one’s anger stop a player from lashing out physically, channelling their anger through their vocal cords rather than their fists?—
Nick Miller,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The plotline’s matter-of-fact profanity at once punctured any sense of simplistic morality and underlined that world events always coexist with everyday indignities.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2025
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The uncensored version was initially available on Peacock Sunday morning but was later replaced with an edited version that removed the profanity.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Apart from any constitutional questions, there is also the problem that confessional language issued by the secretary of state in his official capacity distorts the message of Easter.—
Chloe Breyer,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Pope Francis preached the same gospel in different language.—
John Hope Bryant,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
The spokesperson did not respond to an email from the Statesman about the new indecency bill.—
Rose Evans,
Idaho Statesman,
14 Feb. 2025
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Less than two years later in 1977, he was convicted of indecency with a 12-year-old girl and served just over three years in prison.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA TODAY,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
As expletives begin flying, Conrad arrives to calm things down.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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Johnson exclaimed while recoiling, seemingly followed by inaudible expletives.—
Elizabeth Crisp,
The Hill,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obscenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscenity. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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