1
as in curse
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
a rap song that is filled with profanities
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in vulgarity
the quality or state of being obscene
once notorious for its profanity, that 1950s best seller will strike today's readers as lamentably tame
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of profanity
Electronics aside, yelling, heckling and the use of profanity are also direct violations of gallery etiquette and could result in removal from the event.
—
Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 9 Apr. 2026
Surveillance video showed a group of people walking outside the warehouse before going inside and spending more than half an hour spray-painting profanities and trashing the facility.
—Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
This editorial repeats profanity.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
In today’s political communication, profanity is seen as a mark of authenticity.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profanity
Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 9 Apr. 2026
Surveillance video showed a group of people walking outside the warehouse before going inside and spending more than half an hour spray-painting profanities and trashing the facility.
—Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
This editorial repeats profanity.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
In today’s political communication, profanity is seen as a mark of authenticity.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profanity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profanity
Noun
-
In the first story, a couple worry about how a possible family curse that began when an ancestor made a bargain to escape enslavement might affect their happy life.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
-
There are still deliveries of hate mail from conservative neighbors who disapprove of their lifestyle, and occasional drive-bys punctuated with curses yelled from car windows, but they’ve largely been accepted by the community.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His vulgarity, insults and threats do not make America great.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The values are different now, the lifestyles, the accepted vulgarity, the manners, the view of what’s patriotic and what’s not, the concept of service.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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These are not lazy callbacks, but shared touchstones — part of a pop cultural language the film embedded into our collective consciousness, and that the show both celebrates and lovingly skewers.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The Oakland City Council did not author the actual language of the parcel tax initiative, which will appear as Measure E on the June ballot and is expected to generate $34 million annually.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
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If an exclamation point only signified gore and grossness, this gothic rock opera would more than qualify.—
Rachel Simon,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Kennedy could be heard hurling swears at the Swedish team.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
23 Feb. 2026
-
And Boring would be that much closer to its 90,000-rider pinkie-swear.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The unspoken obscenity of the incident was that fifty dollars was all Monroe ever profited from a calendar that, thanks to reprints, moved several million copies by 1955.—
Joshua John Miller,
Vanity Fair,
9 Apr. 2026
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Documents state that Ebert returned a few days later to William Yates' house to yell obscenities at his wife and a friend who were sitting outside.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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To be sure, protesters have often engaged in hostile behavior, hurling expletives, getting in agents’ faces and occasionally becoming violent.—
A.C. Thompson,
ProPublica,
14 Apr. 2026
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The man pushed Littrell's phone away, and the two began filming each other and hurling expletives.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 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
Cite this Entry
“Profanity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profanity. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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