Synonyms of vulgar

vulgar

adjective

ˈvəl-gər 

1

as in low

belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank

paintings that appeal to vulgar tastes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• low
• ignoble
• plebeian
• humble
• proletarian
• lower-class
• inferior
• low-life
• lumpen
• unwashed
• common
• lowly
• poor
• mean
• lowborn
• bourgeois
• prole
• baseborn
• middle-class
• simple
• plain
• working-class
• déclassé
• downscale
• down-market

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• aristocratic
• high
• noble
• great
• genteel
• lofty
• gentle
• upper-class
• patrician
• grand
• upper-crust
• prominent
• eminent
• notable
• highborn
• illustrious
• highbred
• blue-blooded
• wellborn

2

as in obscene

depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society

a warning about the movie's vulgar language

Synonyms & Similar Words

• obscene
• pornographic
• foul
• nasty
• dirty
• filthy
• gross
• crude
• suggestive
• indecent
• offensive
• unacceptable
• profane
• lewd
• obnoxious
• raunchy
• bawdy
• unpleasant
• disgusting
• coarse
• naughty
• lascivious
• ribald
• blue
• trashy
• smutty
• impure
• undesirable
• unprintable
• abusive
• unwanted
• locker-room
• wanton
• X-rated
• stag
• gutter
• porny
• infamous
• broad
• salacious
• wicked
• perverted
• indecorous
• indelicate
• scatological
• objectionable
• racy
• unbecoming
• depraved
• immodest
• repulsive
• soft
• repugnant
• revolting
• loathsome
• risqué
• earthy
• salty
• perverse
• low
• distasteful
• unwelcome
• coarse-grained
• kinky
• abhorrent
• gamy
• off
• barnyard
• off-color
• exceptionable
• repellent
• reprehensible
• scurrilous
• censurable
• louche
• atrocious
• blamable
• blameworthy
• debasing
• hard-core
• soft-core

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wholesome
• clean
• prudish
• puritanical
• decent
• polite
• proper
• correct
• Victorian
• staid
• genteel
• decorous
• prim
• respectable
• acceptable
• innocuous
• nice
• appropriate
• inoffensive
• desirable
• priggish
• pleasant
• agreeable
• G-rated
• suitable
• nonobscene
• welcome
• pure
• pleasing
• straitlaced
• seemly
• becoming
• meet
• perfect
• fit
• virginal
• immaculate
• spotless
• endorsed
• approved
• sanctioned

3

as in general

held by or applicable to a majority of the people

the vulgar opinion is that the nation is in decline

Synonyms & Similar Words

• general
• prevailing
• popular
• public
• overall
• common
• unanimous
• predominant
• majority
• usual
• received
• ruling
• present
• dominant
• current
• universal
• typical
• contemporary
• characteristic
• familiar
• prevalent
• pervasive
• widespread
• everyday
• pop
• communal
• well-known
• rife
• preponderant
• household
• shared
• pandemic

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• uncommon
• unusual
• strange
• rare
• unknown
• special
• unpopular
• peculiar
• unique
• distinctive
• personal
• individual
• private
• separate
• idiosyncratic
• especial
• singular
• nonpublic

4

as in crass

lacking in refinement or good taste

vulgar behavior shown by someone who's made a lot of money and wants everyone to know it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• crass
• rude
• crude
• coarse
• common
• gross
• uncouth
• clumsy
• uncultured
• tasteless
• lowbrow
• rough
• unpolished
• unrefined
• raffish
• uncultivated
• rugged
• low
• insensible
• illiberal
• ill-bred
• rough-hewn
• boorish
• ungentlemanly
• clownish
• loutish
• roughneck
• indelicate
• thoughtless
• churlish
• cloddish
• insensitive
• incult
• lowbred
• unsophisticated
• rustic
• inconsiderate
• lumpish
• oafish
• lubberly
• barbarous
• uncivilized
• tacky
• barbaric
• inelegant
• provincial
• unmannerly
• countrified
• graceless
• unmannered
• mannerless
• animallike

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• smooth
• civilized
• cultured
• tasteful
• genteel
• polished
• aristocratic
• refined
• cultivated
• elegant
• patrician
• courtly
• graceful
• well-bred
• restrained
• sensitive
• thoughtful
• gracious
• sophisticated
• ultrarefined
• considerate
• urbane
• citified

5

as in colloquial

used in or suitable for speech and not formal writing

Latin was once the language of scholars, and English the vulgar language used by the common people

Synonyms & Similar Words

• colloquial
• vernacular
• informal
• nonliterary
• unliterary
• dialectical
• nonformal
• slang
• conversational
• dialectal
• uneducated
• ungrammatical
• nonstandard
• unbookish
• substandard
• slangy
• incorrect
• regional
• unlearned
• nongrammatical

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• literary
• formal
• standard
• learned
• bookish
• proper
• correct
• grammatical
• genteel
• educated
• undialectical

Synonym Chooser

How is the word vulgar different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of vulgar are coarse, gross, obscene, and ribald. While all these words mean "offensive to good taste or morals," vulgar often implies boorishness or ill-breeding.

a loud vulgar belch

When is it sensible to use coarse instead of vulgar?

While the synonyms coarse and vulgar are close in meaning, coarse implies roughness, rudeness, or crudeness of spirit, behavior, or language.

found the coarse humor of coworkers offensive

When might gross be a better fit than vulgar?

The synonyms gross and vulgar are sometimes interchangeable, but gross implies extreme coarseness and insensitiveness.

gross eating habits

In what contexts can obscene take the place of vulgar?

While in some cases nearly identical to vulgar, obscene applies to anything strongly repulsive to the sense of decency and propriety especially in sexual matters.

obscene language not allowed on the air

Where would ribald be a reasonable alternative to vulgar?

In some situations, the words ribald and vulgar are roughly equivalent. However, ribald applies to what is amusingly or picturesquely vulgar or irreverent or mildly indecent.

entertained the campers with ribald folk songs

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of vulgar

Simmons’ big day will be remembered for his vulgar celebration after one sack. — Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026

Despite their pointy protrusions, the sculptures are not spiky enough to leave a mark; and despite their flirtations with touchy subject matter, none of the works—not even the 9/11 ones—are vulgar enough to get Wolfson in hot water. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 23 Sep. 2026

But Trump’s obsession with these vulgar memorials to his own vanity is a reminder of the darkness around him, of his hostility to democracy, his loathing of honor, and his disordered mind. — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026

Perhaps her daughter-in-law is not vulgar but, rather, simple and spontaneous? — Meghan O’Gieblyn, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026