1
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
a bawdy comment about someone you work with could get you fired
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in suggestive
hinting at or intended to call to mind matters regarded as indecent
a bawdy limerick that mischievous storytellers love to recite
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bawdy
At the end of the night, the mat has been wiped down of the bawdy affair.
—
Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
Ani is one of HQ’s best girls, and Madison plays her with a bawdy effrontery and a disarming grin that seems to widen by a mile under neon lights.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
And that look back is resonating strongly with many of those projects’ filmmakers, actors and executives, who weren’t expecting to get all choked up watching a bawdy adventure.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 30 July 2024
Hammer the accelerator, and the duopoly of gasoline and electric motivation creates bawdy thrust, with bold low-end torque and a strong pull all the way to a 7,500 rpm redline in each gear.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for bawdy 
Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
Ani is one of HQ’s best girls, and Madison plays her with a bawdy effrontery and a disarming grin that seems to widen by a mile under neon lights.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
And that look back is resonating strongly with many of those projects’ filmmakers, actors and executives, who weren’t expecting to get all choked up watching a bawdy adventure.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 30 July 2024
Hammer the accelerator, and the duopoly of gasoline and electric motivation creates bawdy thrust, with bold low-end torque and a strong pull all the way to a 7,500 rpm redline in each gear.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for bawdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawdy
Adjective
-
Blink Twice nods at a tangle of different contemporary ailments: lifestyle fetishism, wellness hedonism, our obscene fealty to stolid tech bros and their untrammeled wealth.Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024
-
Many are short baby names—partly because Australia prohibits long names, obscene words, and names with symbols or too many hyphens.1 Here are some of our favorite boys' names from the land down under.Sherri Gordon, Parents, 2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Police say the man kept asking the girl suggestive questions, asked for photographs and sent some of himself.Ron Wood, arkansasonline.com, 10 Dec. 2024
-
Their spinsterhood took on an ominous cast, their celibacy no longer evidence of pure, Christian love, but now suggestive of physical, emotional, and intellectual degeneracy.Natalie Kinkade, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
The show was so bawdy — almost vulgar in a really fun way.Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
-
Read more Here's what else to know one week before Election Day: Trump is on damage duty: The former president's campaign is scrambling to distance itself from racist, vulgar, and sexist comments made by speakers at Trump's Sunday night rally at Madison Square Garden in New York.Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
North Carolina has its own hot and spicy chicken, made famous at a restaurant in Salisbury.Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 18 Dec. 2024
-
Then there are the darker, spicier vanillas, with hints of tobacco or amber, offering a more sultry, sophisticated vibe.Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Much of the dialogue is hilariously ribald, especially in a locker room scene in which the two nude men share a tender familial embrace after comparing penises.Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 June 2023
-
The couple became a symbol of marital stability in the freewheeling rock world, even as Charlie drummed for a band that was the most famously ribald band in music history.Jem Aswad, Variety, 19 Dec. 2022
Adjective
-
Wireless Humidifier Another Healthy Home Awards winner, this portable humidifier can sit on top of their desk or nightstand to hydrate dry skin (or help a cold feel a little less nasty).Jessica Kasparian, SELF, 10 Dec. 2024
-
Treinen rewarded his manager’s faith in him by retiring the dangerous Giancarlo Stanton on a first-pitch fly out to right field and striking out Anthony Rizzo with a nasty 86-mph sweeper to end the inning.Mike DiGiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Other signs to look for are floating debris, rust, mildew, or foul odors.Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 6 Dec. 2024
-
There’s also an odor neutralizer cartridge that can be placed into the vacuum’s brush roll and is is designed to keep foul odors out of the air while cleaning.Terri Williams, Architectural Digest, 2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
But this flavor swaps dirty diesel for a clean and quiet electric drivetrain built around a 74-kWh battery pack for more than 90 miles (150 km) of hauling over all kinds of challenging terrain.Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 9 Dec. 2024
-
The dirty secret is that students don't want to take courses in neo-Marxist nonsense.Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
Articles Related to bawdy
Thesaurus Entries Near bawdy
Cite this Entry
“Bawdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawdy. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share