obscenity

noun

ob·​scen·​i·​ty äb-ˈse-nə-tē 

əb-,

 also  -ˈsē-

plural obscenities

1

: the quality or state of being obscene

2

: something (such as an utterance or act) that is obscene

Synonyms

• bawdiness
• blueness
• coarseness
• crudeness
• crudity
• dirt
• dirtiness
• filth
• filthiness
• foulness
• grossness
• impureness
• impurity
• indecency
• lasciviousness
• lewdness
• nastiness
• profanity
• raunch
• raunchiness
• ribaldry
• smut
• smuttiness
• vulgarity
• wantonness

Examples of obscenity in a Sentence

The author uses obscenity to make a point about the culture.

the song couldn't be performed on the air due to the obscenity of the lyrics

Recent Examples on the Web

Aspinwall Police Chief David Nemec told Pittsburgh news station WTAE that the man got out of his vehicle, walked to the sidewalk and began shouting obscenities at the house and the flag. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025

Before some of you Jets fans direct obscenities in my direction, hear me out for a minute. —Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2025

The group discusses each video’s development and reception, while speculating as to why viewers connected so much with, say, Natalie Portman rapping obscenities. —Marnie Shure, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2024

Yet the movie also contains, by my count, more than a dozen significant obscenities, as well as enough death to scar the Bluey crowd for life. —Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French obscenité "indecent words or images," borrowed from Latin obscēnitāt-, obscēnitās (obscaenitāt-, obscaenitās) "indecency, indecent language or behavior," from obscēnus, obscaenus "ill-omened, unpropitious, evoking disgust, indecent, lewd" + -itāt-, -itās -ity — more at obscene

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing obscenity

• anti-obscenity

Rhymes for obscenity

• amenity
• serenity
• lenity

Kids Definition

obscenity

noun

ob·​scen·​i·​ty äb-ˈsen-ət-ē 

əb-

plural obscenities

1

: the quality or state of being obscene

2

: something that is obscene

Legal Definition

obscenity

noun

ob·​scen·​i·​ty äb-ˈse-nə-tē 

plural obscenities

1

: the quality or state of being obscene

2

: something (as an utterance or act) that is obscene

also : obscene material