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
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
Officers, often summoned by principals or teacers, escalated some situations by shouting obscenities or insults.
—Clare Amari, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Cheers immediately broke out across the arena in response to the obscenity.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
Richard howled obscenities at three officers who were talking to him through the locked door.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for obscenity
Victoria Le, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Officers, often summoned by principals or teacers, escalated some situations by shouting obscenities or insults.
—Clare Amari, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Cheers immediately broke out across the arena in response to the obscenity.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
Richard howled obscenities at three officers who were talking to him through the locked door.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for obscenity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscenity
Noun
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On Monday night, that park seemed so far away as Knicks fans rained vulgarities down on Wembanyama and his teammates inside Madison Square Garden.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
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As the subtitle promises, their answers are shared with all the vulgarity, pettiness, and arrogance intact.—
Juliet Izon,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Such is the blessing and curse of summer produce.—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 June 2026
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The Curse of Billy Penn lived on for decades, and now the modern-day Rocky statue curse appears to have claimed its latest victim.—
Tom Ignudo,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Noun
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All your Dad has to do is fill it and drink—the microfilter membrane will do the rest by removing chlorine odors, dirt, bacteria, and any other grossness floating around in there.—
Francesca Krempa,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
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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
Noun
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The event finds more than 20,000 people participating in an annual bar crawl throughout the city while dressed in their best holiday attire, tackiest Santa Claus costumes, and ugliest Christmas swears.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
15 Apr. 2026
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Kennedy could be heard hurling swears at the Swedish team.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
23 Feb. 2026
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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The volume was very loud, and all that could be heard was one profanity after another.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
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And profanities featured in roughly 10% of all clauses, used at a rate substantially higher than the same speakers would use while awake.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 June 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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FlareFlow, which operates under COL Group – listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange’s ChiNext board – has released approximately 5,200 series to date, with 33 million registered users, support for 14 languages, and a presence spanning upward of 200 countries and regions.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 June 2026
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For the last couple of years, the test has been provided in six languages, allowing vital linguistic access to our more than 70,000 students learning English as a second language.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obscenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscenity. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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