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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obscenity
Image Much like obscenity, slop can be easier to spot than to define.
—
Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 19 May 2025
As the protest heated up, some members of the crowd shouted obscenities at agents.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
In a time when the suffering and seemingly hopeless prospects of America’s poor are known to all who have eyes to see, the only fig leaf available to hide the obscenity of this bill is the old partisan charge of waste, fraud and abuse.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
Of course, most of these sanctimonious snore-mongers linger on in one shrunken form or another, still screaming obscenities and shaking their fists at the moon.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscenity
Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 19 May 2025
As the protest heated up, some members of the crowd shouted obscenities at agents.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
In a time when the suffering and seemingly hopeless prospects of America’s poor are known to all who have eyes to see, the only fig leaf available to hide the obscenity of this bill is the old partisan charge of waste, fraud and abuse.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
Of course, most of these sanctimonious snore-mongers linger on in one shrunken form or another, still screaming obscenities and shaking their fists at the moon.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscenity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscenity
Noun
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Action rocks as Season 2 leans more into DCU absurdity and vulgarity.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Jude is an erudite man of the people whose hyper-literate intellectualism is only matched by his Chaucer-like vulgarity, and his work has long reveled in an impish fascination with the relationship between art, labor, and technology.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Rumors of a Satanic curse on the event skittered around the Haight, so early on the morning of the 14th, Ginsberg, Snyder, and Alan Watts conducted a pradakshina, a Buddhist purification rite.—
Dennis McNally,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
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As those points attest, emotional wording can be a blessing and a curse.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Bonus: For every 100ml bottle sold, Omorovicza donates 5% to Water.org, supporting global access to safe water. Jones Road Miracle Balm, $40 Women over 50 swear by this award-winning, Bobbi Brown-founded brand for its nourishing and hydrating qualities.—
Kristen Philipkoski,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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The word was forbidden in their household and treated like a swear.—
Ariana Yaptangco,
Glamour,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In 2015, she was suspended from her role as a Fox News contributor for two weeks after using profanity in an on-air criticism of Obama.—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
19 July 2025
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Others bore creative and bilingual profanities directed at Trump, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, who oversees most of the country’s public acreage, and Sen. Mike Lee, the Republican from Utah, who on June 11 had proposed a large-scale selloff of public lands.—
Abe Streep,
ProPublica,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
The word llama comes from Spanish, which borrowed it directly from Quechua, the Indigenous language of the Andes.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
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That language had real teeth during Donald Trump’s first Presidency, as states, cities, and localities invoked it to stop his abuse of immigration laws, of the purse strings that belong to Congress, and of their own authority over their affairs and general welfare.—
Cristian Farias,
New Yorker,
19 Aug. 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
Noun
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They are reportedly charged with disorderly conduct, public indecency/indecent exposure, and criminal trespass, according to Reuters, with a court date yet to be established.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
8 Aug. 2025
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Vega was convicted in 1999 in Brazos County, Texas, for indecency with a child, who was 12 at the time.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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An angry Schottenheimer stopped the team drill portion, got everyone huddled up in the middle of the field and ripped into the group with several expletives.—
Jon Machota,
New York Times,
26 July 2025
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Stewart had harsh words for CBS and Paramount, using several expletives to punctuate his sentiments.—
Liam Reilly,
CNN Money,
22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obscenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscenity. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
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