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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The incident was captured on the broadcast, and after the game, Duran explained that his obscene gesture was in response to a fan crossing the line.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
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The most common crime investigated by the unit was the distribution of obscene material depicting minors, followed by elder abuse and rape.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
For example, do different networks rate explicit language, suggestive language and violent programming similarly, or are some networks prone to provide a lesser rating than others?—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
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On Chinese social media, some people said that K-pop — with its suggestive dance moves — is not appropriate for children.—
Ken Moritsugu,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The word was considered so vulgar that it was left out of early dictionaries and was rarely printed, though Adams says people were certainly using it.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2026
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One day, Dahlstrom made a vulgar joke in a lunchroom referencing oral sex and pubic hair, according to the employee.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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No one’s workday was ever overturned by a spicy Cook tweet.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
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The postgame scene eloquently explained why this series has become greasy, if not spicy.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This material included thousands of pornographic deepfakes that Kamnik had generated using AI tools.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
9 Apr. 2026
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Police are investigating reports that Lake Zurich High School students used artificial intelligence to generate pornographic images of classmates, district officials said.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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True to the genre’s name, the blues could be bawdy, humorously describing the pleasures of the flesh, or sorrowful, conveying heart-wrenching despair.—
René Ostberg,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
20 Mar. 2026
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In the movie’s fuzzy metaphysics, Shelley wills herself into the consciousness of a character named Ida (also played by Buckley), a young woman angling for survival in 1930s Chicago — a colorful, dangerous world of bawdy lotharios and lethal gangsters.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Shaw lined out to right field, Bregman popped out into foul territory and, after Ian Happ was intentionally walked, Seiya Suzuki also popped out in foul territory to end the game.—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
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Playing first base, he was booed for dropping a foul pop-up, then made a catch on a similar ball.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This was the old Magic — the nasty, physical, suffocating defensive team that made every possession feel like work.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Apr. 2026
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From there, the beef between the two couples runs the gamut from faux-gentile to downright nasty.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ribald.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ribald. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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