as in vulgarity
the quality or state of being obscene
there's a ribaldry in the works of Chaucer that generations of students of English literature have heartily enjoyed
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Recent Examples of ribaldry
Over-Nite Sensation is a triumph: a concentrated digest from perhaps the most popular stretch of his career, and a freeze-frame of his compositional flowering and ingenious lyrical ribaldry.
—
Daniel Felsenthal, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2023
Finding liberty in punk artistry, Dury updated the tradition of British music-hall ribaldry and rude folk humor.
—Armond White, National Review, 3 Aug. 2022
The young woman disappeared in the ribaldry, everyone smelling of perfume and drowning one another out in their hysterical good time.
—David Rabe, The New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2020
The horses pick their fresh ways delicately through the dewy country, the brightness of sunrise has not yet fallen from the air, the sky is blue and all-covering, and the cowboys are full of jokes and morning ribaldries.
—Larry McMurtry, Harper's magazine, 28 Oct. 2019
A trio of troublemaking nuns (Aubrey Plaza, Kate Micucci and Alison Brie) soon complicate matters, resulting in some hilarious, blasphemous ribaldry.
—OregonLive.com, 5 July 2017
Imagine Ludlam’s Ridiculous Theatrical Company without the cross-dressing ribaldry.
—Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 15 May 2017
Daniel Felsenthal, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2023
Finding liberty in punk artistry, Dury updated the tradition of British music-hall ribaldry and rude folk humor.
—Armond White, National Review, 3 Aug. 2022
The young woman disappeared in the ribaldry, everyone smelling of perfume and drowning one another out in their hysterical good time.
—David Rabe, The New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2020
The horses pick their fresh ways delicately through the dewy country, the brightness of sunrise has not yet fallen from the air, the sky is blue and all-covering, and the cowboys are full of jokes and morning ribaldries.
—Larry McMurtry, Harper's magazine, 28 Oct. 2019
A trio of troublemaking nuns (Aubrey Plaza, Kate Micucci and Alison Brie) soon complicate matters, resulting in some hilarious, blasphemous ribaldry.
—OregonLive.com, 5 July 2017
Imagine Ludlam’s Ridiculous Theatrical Company without the cross-dressing ribaldry.
—Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 15 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ribaldry
Noun
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Many of the European players were subjected to dreadful abuse from the galleries, unprintable vulgarities and some deeply personal insults.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
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Many of the racist, nativist vulgarities spoken out loud in Paul Thomas Anderson’s marvelous new film One Battle After Another evoke sentiments that, in our world, first fomented online.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In fact, plenty of other things in your home surpass the toilet in terms of grossness.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Sep. 2025
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Brain rot has become unavoidable, its grossness ubiquitous.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
20 Aug. 2025
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
Noun
-
Fans of the United States team took to hurling personal insults and obscenities toward the European golfers as the Americans fell behind in the scoring.—
Matt Moret,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
-
In addition to taking the guinea pigs, the perpetrators wrote obscenities and a racial slur on a whiteboard.—
Alexandra Hardle,
AZCentral.com,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Despite the heavy central theme of chronic illness, there’s a delicious bawdiness to Will There Ever Be Another You, a vulgar juvenilia evoking graffiti-tag genitals or the ding dong ditch scene from Billy Madison.—
Eric Olson
September 23,
Literary Hub,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
An alkaline compound, baking soda is a non-toxic cleaner with a coarseness that works wonders for scrubbing grime, removing difficult stains, and deodorizing stinky odors.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 2025
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The coarseness of your grounds is determined by the width of the space between the two grinding burrs.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Claud has two convictions for indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years of age and one conviction for open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ribaldry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ribaldry. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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