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

The house, formerly inhabited by Russian soldiers, exhibited the obscenities of forceful dispossession. —C.j. Chivers Robert Fass Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024

Naked Lunch was banned in Boston and Los Angeles under obscenity statutes. —Ira Silverberg, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2024

He was also arrested in 2002 for possessing child pornography, though those charges were later dropped and reduced to a misdemeanor charge for obscenity. —James Factora, Them, 27 Jan. 2025

Deputies said the victim was struck with a belt more than 50 times and was choked and called several disparaging names and other obscenities. —Landon Mion, Fox News, 17 Dec. 2024

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

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