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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vulgar Climate change vandals spray-painted a Tesla car dealership in Manhattan on Tuesday to protest Elon Musk’s work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but as police arrived, the activists could be seen cleaning off some of the vulgar writing. Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2025 Two of the protesters are facing counts including obstructing a law enforcement officer and simple battery on a law enforcement officer, while a third has been charged with using vulgar language, according to Acworth police. Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2025 The comments in screen shots of the chat room were demeaning and vulgar – as were the texts from the anonymous messenger who had sent her the images. Yoonjung Seo and Mike Valerio, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025 Where once was the vulgar, now lies the Vulgate, a common relatable almost religious experience that all at Barclays seemed to feel. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for vulgar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vulgar
Adjective
  • But the three-time Oscar winner makes the most out of every line reading, not by going big (a near impossibility in an Anderson movie) but by setting Felicity’s fears and annoyances to a very low simmer.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025
  • Dew point values will be around 70 degrees, with heat index values climbing into the low 90s.
    Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • Venis’s obscene wealth justifies an unbridled narcissism that reflects our worst fears of tech moguls.
    Andrew Wallenstein, Variety, 28 May 2025
  • In December 2014, a jury convicted Magnotta of first-degree murder, committing an indignity to a human body, publishing obscene material and mailing obscene and indecent material.
    Jessica Sager, People.com, 25 May 2025
Adjective
  • Among folks in the business, there is a general sense of Hacks as a funny show featuring great performances, made by incredibly likable people in Downs, Aniello, and Statsky.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 7 June 2025
  • Apple continues to offer multi-year support across its hardware, including the Mac platform in general and the MacBook laptops in particular.
    Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
Adjective
  • But beyond the crass remarks about Read, experts say less explosive messages about Proctor's early opinions of the investigation could be damning.
    Julia Bonavita , Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2025
  • What keeps these series from coming off as crass is the genuine camaraderie that connects their characters and shelters them, to some extent, from the precariousness of their lives.
    Judy Berman, Time, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • So what follows is the colloquial Q&A, more or less unedited, from my email exchange with that reporter.
    George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
  • The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope Trollope is a more colloquial writer.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 May 2025
Adjective
  • And bugs’ ignoble practices exert fascination on poets too.
    Hannah Brooks-Motl June 2, Literary Hub, 2 June 2025
  • Within hours, your unscrupulous corporate rivals bask in ignoble victory.
    Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • Carry-on rules exist for a reason and deliberately ignoring the rules is both rude and inconsiderate to everyone else who is.
    Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
  • Matthews walked out of the home to talk to the suspect but returned to the house, saying Hoskins-Ellis said something rude to him.
    PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 9 June 2025
Adjective
  • For Forbes, learning the defense itself wasn’t as intensive as understanding the Rams’ techniques and vernacular.
    Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 28 May 2025
  • Originally appearing in Latin or Greek, several stories of transgender saints made their way into vernacular languages.
    Sarah Barringer, The Conversation, 27 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vulgar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vulgar. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on vulgar

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