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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Not only are hospital CEOs paid obscene amounts of money and the hospitals are sitting on fat cash balances, but NewYork–Presbyterian is guilty of something even more grotesque.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Some made obscene gestures, and one held up a paper cursing the president.—
Josh Boak,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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That sounds like something a premium TV service and its subscribers could keep a good, heavily suggestive grip on for at least 10 years.—
Erik Adams,
The Atlantic,
18 Jan. 2026
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The agents’ demand that Good exit her vehicle is suggestive of an intent to take her into custody.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Although the Ripken card launched many conspiracy theories as to whether the inclusion of its vulgar phrase was truly a mistake or a Fleer marketing ploy, there is a long history of errors making it through quality control in sports card production.—
Tyler Holzhammer,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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The joke swap during last year's Christmas episode went to some particularly jaw-dropping places after Che made Jost read a vulgar joke about Johansson.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
21 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Entrees at The Gibson include short rib, salmon, spicy tagliatelle with shrimp and a pork chop.—
Sarah Blaskovich,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Like most sushi restaurants in the city, there is spicy tuna and crispy rice on the menu, but this one is really good.—
Jocelyn Silver,
Vogue,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The dangers of some using modern technology to render false, realistic pornographic depictions of real individuals is just one of many concerns people are having in the age of artificial intelligence.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
23 Jan. 2026
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The legislation would allow individuals whose likeness has been used by AI to generate pornographic photos and videos without their consent to sue those responsible for generating or disseminating the content for upward of $150,000.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In the bawdy comedic scene, Tommy wakes up au natural in his hotel bed after an amorous evening with his wife, Angela Norris (Ali Larter), to find a shocked housekeeper in the hotel room.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
20 Jan. 2026
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That’s because the musical path D’Angelo was headed on was light-years away from bawdy lover-boy balladry.—
Keith Murphy,
VIBE.com,
12 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Gamers will know Brok as the beloved weapons dealer with an unrivaled artistry for creative, foul-mouthed curses.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2026
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For starters, 50-foot foul poles were added at each end of the field and work was done in both bullpens.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Microsoft took months to fix Remote Desktop disconnection issues, then shipped a Windows Update that wiped out Copilot, and released updates that duplicated the Task Manager and created a nasty system recovery bug.—
Tom Warren,
The Verge,
29 Jan. 2026
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Those might have increased here because of weak data, like the nasty drop in consumer confidence yesterday, or because of the expectation a new Fed chair will be more dovish.—
Kelly Evans,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ribald.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ribald. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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