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
Just this insane profanity-laden tirade that went on and on and on.
—
Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Ball ended up being fined $60,000 for his actions during the game ($35,000 for the foul, $25,000 for postgame profanity on TV) and assessed a flagrant foul.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2026
He was fined $25,000 for using profanity in an on-court postgame interview.
—Steve Reed, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
At one point, a man appears to emerge from the home and yell profanities in Spanish in the direction of the dump truck.
—Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profanity
Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Ball ended up being fined $60,000 for his actions during the game ($35,000 for the foul, $25,000 for postgame profanity on TV) and assessed a flagrant foul.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2026
He was fined $25,000 for using profanity in an on-court postgame interview.
—Steve Reed, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
At one point, a man appears to emerge from the home and yell profanities in Spanish in the direction of the dump truck.
—Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profanity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profanity
Noun
-
The Cavs curse is simply an extension of their ongoing tension.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
25 May 2026
-
Clark’s father is a DJ as well as the author of a five-part comic series in which the protagonist, a misunderstood boy, is faced with killing newfound friends to break a curse, according to the father’s Facebook account and online book reviews.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
Nestled between the layers is a genuinely heartfelt story that blooms from beneath all the aesthetic and verbal vulgarity, thus making innate, and intuitive, his ongoing, ever-evolving manifesto on the state of things.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
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In addition, prosecutors say swastikas, antisemitic slogans and vulgarity were spray-painted on pillars underneath M-53 and Canal, a brick wall near a business and an electrical box at a second business.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The catalog runs to more than 400 Chinese-language, 200 English-language and 50 Korean titles spanning variety, reality and comedy.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
26 May 2026
-
His novels have been translated into twenty different languages.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 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
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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
-
The obscenity is often to be found not on the page, but in the wider world, and in part Scranton has called a share of this outrage down upon himself.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
-
Or one that doesn’t deal primarily with (obscenity deleted) in a dance club or how much someone likes big rear ends.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
Noun
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And the Panthers’ fourth-year quarterback let loose with a couple of expletives that grabbed everyone’s attention, including media members standing nearby.—
Joseph Person,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
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Most who try, though, end up offering this simple structure, often involving an expletive and an inflection that nearly crosses the vocal threshold from overwhelming admiration into admonition.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
26 May 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 29 May. 2026.
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