profanity

noun

pro·​fan·​i·​ty prō-ˈfa-nə-tē 

prə-

plural profanities

1

a

: the quality or state of being profane

b

: the use of profane language

2

a

: profane language

b

: an utterance of profane language

Synonyms

• curse
• cuss
• cussword
• dirty word
• expletive
• four-letter word
• obscenity
• swear
• swearword
• vulgarism

Examples of profanity in a Sentence

The comic uses too much profanity.

My mom will not tolerate profanity.

I have never heard my father utter a single profanity.

Recent Examples on the Web

The uncensored version was initially available on Peacock Sunday morning but was later replaced with an edited version that removed the profanity. —Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025

And the American president used profanities over how Israel carried out the war in Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas. —Luke Broadwater, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025

Long before that, our Founding Fathers knew the value of profanity. —Christian Schneider, National Review, 3 Apr. 2025

People who swear frequently are sometimes perceived as angry, hostile, or aggressive, so there’s a potential tipping point to using profanity. —Stacey Colino, Time, 1 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for profanity

• humanity
• inanity
• insanity
• urbanity
• christianity
• inhumanity
• sanity
• vanity

Kids Definition

profanity

noun

pro·​fan·​i·​ty prō-ˈfan-ət-ē 

prə-

plural profanities

1

: the quality or state of being profane

2

: profane language