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

Over the past decade, Trump’s tenure in the political arena has stirred far more mayhem than a grandma’s profanities and arm-tugging. —Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News, 3 Nov. 2024

Duterte’s profanities became a trademark of his political persona and some regarded him as Asia’s Trump. —Jim Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024

Later, around 12:10 p.m., a statue outside the synagogue was vandalized when a man wrote profanity on it with a marker, police told CNN affiliate KYW. —Dalia Faheid, CNN, 24 Oct. 2024

Updated the profanity filter flow when importing players from EA Sports College Football. —Brian Mazique, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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