vulgar

adjective

vul·​gar ˈvəl-gər 

1

a

: lacking in cultivation, perception, or taste : coarse

b

: morally crude, undeveloped, or unregenerate : gross

c

: ostentatious or excessive in expenditure or display : pretentious

2

a

: offensive in language : earthy

b

: lewdly or profanely indecent

3

a

: generally used, applied, or accepted

b

: understood in or having the ordinary sense

they reject the vulgar conception of miracle

—W. R. Inge

4

: vernacular

the vulgar name of a plant

5

a

: of or relating to the common people : plebeian

b

: generally current : public

the vulgar opinion of that time

c

: of the usual, typical, or ordinary kind

vulgarly adverb

Synonyms

• baseborn
• common
• humble
• ignoble
• inferior
• low
• low-life
• lowborn
• lower-class
• lowly
• lumpen
• mean
• plebeian
• prole
• proletarian
• unwashed

Choose the Right Synonym for vulgar

common, ordinary, plain, familiar, popular, vulgar mean generally met with and not in any way special, strange, or unusual.

common implies usual everyday quality or frequency of occurrence

a common error

lacked common honesty

and may additionally suggest inferiority or coarseness.

common manners

ordinary stresses conformance in quality or kind with the regular order of things.

an ordinary pleasant summer day

a very ordinary sort of man

plain is likely to suggest homely simplicity.

plain hard-working people

familiar stresses the fact of being generally known and easily recognized.

a familiar melody

popular applies to what is accepted by or prevalent among people in general sometimes in contrast to upper classes or special groups.

a writer of popular romances

vulgar, otherwise similar to popular, is likely to carry derogatory connotations (as of inferiority or coarseness).

souvenirs designed to appeal to the vulgar taste

coarse, vulgar, gross, obscene, ribald mean offensive to good taste or morals.

coarse implies roughness, rudeness, or crudeness of spirit, behavior, or language.

found the coarse humor of coworkers offensive

vulgar often implies boorishness or ill-breeding.

a loud vulgar belch

gross implies extreme coarseness and insensitiveness.

gross eating habits

obscene applies to anything strongly repulsive to the sense of decency and propriety especially in sexual matters.

obscene language not allowed on the air

ribald applies to what is amusingly or picturesquely vulgar or irreverent or mildly indecent.

entertained the campers with ribald folk songs

Examples of vulgar in a Sentence

He was a vulgar man.

She had a coarse, vulgar laugh.

I will not tolerate such vulgar language in my home.

Recent Examples on the Web

However, these arrangements were not mere shakedowns; they were anchored in strategic diplomacy and geopolitical calculus, rather than vulgar profiteering. —Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025

Her Facebook and email had been flooded with vulgar, inflammatory responses. —Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2025

Streep walked on as the mother of McKinnon’s constant alien abductee Miss Rafferty, with the same spread legs and vulgar manner. —Andrew Dalton, Orlando Sentinel, 17 Feb. 2025

Sorrentino may also be exorcising some conflicting feelings about his birthplace, which is portrayed as a vulgar, crude place populated by crooks and hicks and photographed like its paradise. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin vulgaris of the mob, vulgar, from volgus, vulgus mob, common people

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Phrases Containing vulgar

• vulgar era

Rhymes for vulgar

• bulgar
• bulger

Kids Definition

vulgar

adjective

vul·​gar ˈvəl-gər 

1

: generally used, applied, or accepted

2

: of or relating to common speech : vernacular entry 1

the vulgar name of a plant

3

: of or relating to the common people

the vulgar opinion of the time

4

a

: lacking in good manners or taste : coarse

a loud vulgar belch

b

: morally crude

c

: tastelessly showy : pretentious

5

: offensive in language : obscene

a vulgar joke

vulgarly adverb