bawdy

1 of 2

adjective

bawdier; bawdiest
1
: boisterously or humorously indecent
bawdy jokes
2
: obscene, lewd
a bawdy comedian
bawdily adverb
bawdiness noun

bawdy

2 of 2

noun

Examples of bawdy in a Sentence

Adjective a bawdy film that is not appropriate for children a bawdy comment about someone you work with could get you fired
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
At the end of the night, the mat has been wiped down of the bawdy affair. Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024 Ani is one of HQ’s best girls, and Madison plays her with a bawdy effrontery and a disarming grin that seems to widen by a mile under neon lights. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
Noun
Her sensibility is grounded in sincerity but relies on bawdy, off-color jokes to deflect from empowerment messaging that might otherwise seem square. Peter Debruge, Variety, 15 Sep. 2024 That twisted inner world is beautifully realized in a shadowy mélange of fringe and ruffles by the designer Tom Scutt, whose bawdy, under-the-big-top scenic and costume design is a feat of textures and deep, muted colors. Naveen Kumar, Variety, 22 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bawdy 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bawdy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

bawd + -y entry 1

Noun

probably from bawdy entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1513, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1656, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bawdy was circa 1513

Dictionary Entries Near bawdy

Cite this Entry

“Bawdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bawdy. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

bawdy

adjective
ˈbȯd-ē
bawdier; bawdiest
: morally objectionable : obscene
bawdily
ˈbȯd-ᵊl-ē
adverb
bawdiness
ˈbȯd-ē-nəs
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on bawdy

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