as in curse
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
used vulgarisms that embarrassed his family
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 vulgarism
As the Oxford English Dictionary notes, the expression not hardly is considered a vulgarism.
—
Nr Editors, National Review, 16 Apr. 2020
The British cringed over new American accents, coinages and vulgarisms.
—Time, 11 June 2019
Trump himself has deployed vulgarisms for the female anatomy, plus T-shirts calling Democrat Hillary Clinton the same word were regularly spotted at Trump rallies during the 2016 campaign.
—Maria Puente, USA TODAY, 1 June 2018
As her unwillingness to come right out and say a vulgarism suggests, Mrs. Bush was in many ways a throwback.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Apr. 2018
Nr Editors, National Review, 16 Apr. 2020
The British cringed over new American accents, coinages and vulgarisms.
—Time, 11 June 2019
Trump himself has deployed vulgarisms for the female anatomy, plus T-shirts calling Democrat Hillary Clinton the same word were regularly spotted at Trump rallies during the 2016 campaign.
—Maria Puente, USA TODAY, 1 June 2018
As her unwillingness to come right out and say a vulgarism suggests, Mrs. Bush was in many ways a throwback.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vulgarism
Noun
-
The last of the old curses and the purest championship drought in the sport.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
After its patriarch’s mysterious death, the pharma family falls prey to an ancient curse.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Feller told Al Jazeera that Chinese employers would have to accommodate non-Mandarin speakers by offering English-language positions and improve work-life balance.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
-
One of the most prominent Mexican actresses of her generation, Notni led Amazon MGM’s 2024 reboot of Zorro and recently wrapped Day One, a Spanish-language Amazon series which releases later this year.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Don’t pretend the cure for coarse speech is a swear jar.—
Eric Preven,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Taylor and Hinkle swear by bonnets, while Royal and others recommend tying longer styles into a loose bun or braid before wrapping.—
Larry Stansbury,
Essence,
4 Sep. 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
-
Use chapter titles or epithets to set up what’s coming.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
25 Sep. 2025
-
On his next broadcast, Maher convened guests like Ice Cube and Michael Eric Dyson to call him to task for using the epithet and to explore the issues about its us.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
His partner, Shane Lowry, was also spewing expletives back at fans commenting on his weight, while standing up for McIlroy, one of his best friends, as well.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The difference between an explicit and clean version of a song is that the former contains expletives or vulgarities, while the latter does not.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
According to a 2020 study in the International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, the number of profanities in songs on the Billboard Top 100 charts rose from less than 200 per year in 2009 to more than 700 per year in 2018.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
-
This story references profanity and may be offensive to some readers.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vulgarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vulgarism. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share