1
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
some of the movie's most ribald, and thus funniest, scenes were cut for showing on broadcast television
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2
as in suggestive
hinting at or intended to call to mind matters regarded as indecent
a ribald tale rife with double entendres and racy innuendo
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Recent Examples of ribald
But, Brigman found, the men in Stieglitz’s scene often belittled the subject, ogling and making ribald jokes.
—
Sarah Blackwood, The New Yorker, 11 May 2020
But Beforeigners eschews the supernatural, and the campier teen soap elements, to deliver a thoughtful, moving, and often quite ribald and funny tale of various worlds colliding.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 21 Feb. 2020
Later, Society members on the city commission pulled funding from a chamber-of-commerce event, citing concerns about an allegedly ribald country-and-western band.
—Emma Green, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2019
The Los Angeles artist, known for her ribald depictions of middle-aged men and babies (and baby men) wreaking all manner of havoc (bodily and otherwise), is presenting a series of paintings and videos.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2019
See All Example Sentences for ribald
Sarah Blackwood, The New Yorker, 11 May 2020
But Beforeigners eschews the supernatural, and the campier teen soap elements, to deliver a thoughtful, moving, and often quite ribald and funny tale of various worlds colliding.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 21 Feb. 2020
Later, Society members on the city commission pulled funding from a chamber-of-commerce event, citing concerns about an allegedly ribald country-and-western band.
—Emma Green, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2019
The Los Angeles artist, known for her ribald depictions of middle-aged men and babies (and baby men) wreaking all manner of havoc (bodily and otherwise), is presenting a series of paintings and videos.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2019
See All Example Sentences for ribald
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ribald
Adjective
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Clothing must not feature offensive language, obscene gestures/graphics, or nudity or clothing that does not sufficiently cover undergarments.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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The store supplied her with bondage pants, kilts, and T-shirts printed with obscene illustrations.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The actress had previously teamed up with the company for a suggestive body wash commercial.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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Like fall’s auburn leaves and bounty of crisp apples, checks, in all its iterations, kindle a cozy familiarity suggestive of the season.—
Andrea Zendejas,
Vogue,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The book is filled with vulgar pictures, with many faces blacked out, and messages both handwritten and typed from well-wishers for Epstein’s 50th birthday.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
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The biopic is the vulgar but necessary tribute inherently populist cinema pays to more traditional, higher-brow art.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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For a little bit of spicy kick, make the pimiento cheese with pepper Jack instead of Cheddar.—
Ann Taylor Pittman,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
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The star, of course, is ginger root oil—its warm, spicy aroma is blended with cardamom, clove, and coriander, plus a hit of citrus oils (lime, orange, bergamot, grapefruit) and eucalyptus for an energizing, feel-good scent.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In late May, a parishioner at Our Lady of the Visitation in Green Township complained to the archdiocese about pornographic websites showing up on a church computer.—
Dan Horn,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
16 Sep. 2025
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Concerns have already been raised over the dangers of nudification apps that can be used to create pornographic images of people without their consent.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Australian playwright Tony McNamara has turned his side hustle as a screenwriter into a blessing for Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite), and viewers of The Great, his bawdy historical farce for Hulu, can attest to his love of layered, lacerating insults.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
27 Aug. 2025
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American Pie is both funnier and bawdier than Porky's, though that 1981 romp gets points for Kim Cattrall's outrageous orgasm scene.—
Michelle Kung,
EW.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Jessica Post, who lives near Auburn and was sitting near the right field foul pole with her sister, Deanna Ritter of Roseville, was happy the A’s had put the flags to half-staff.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Then second baseman Máximo Acosta chased down the ball in foul territory and threw wildly past third.—
Steve Gorten,
Miami Herald,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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One said bump is a particularly nasty, literal wig-snatching fight between Vida and Chi-Chi.—
Jen Juneau,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
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In a nutshell, people are easily irritated and inclined to get caught up in nasty power struggles because they’re entrenched in their own views.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ribald.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ribald. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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