1
as in pornographic
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
obscene gestures are totally inappropriate in the workplace
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disgusting
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
that ugly new store is really an obscene bit of architecture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obscene
The incident was captured on the broadcast, and after the game, Duran explained that his obscene gesture was in response to a fan crossing the line.
—
Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
The most common crime investigated by the unit was the distribution of obscene material depicting minors, followed by elder abuse and rape.
—Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Weapon violations dropped more than 13%, and crimes involving pornography or obscene material were down more than 23%, according to the report.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 8 Apr. 2026
Do better, or consider hiring people who paint a vivid enough picture with words rather than having to lean on photographers who seem to have an obscene bloodlust.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for obscene
Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
The most common crime investigated by the unit was the distribution of obscene material depicting minors, followed by elder abuse and rape.
—Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Weapon violations dropped more than 13%, and crimes involving pornography or obscene material were down more than 23%, according to the report.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 8 Apr. 2026
Do better, or consider hiring people who paint a vivid enough picture with words rather than having to lean on photographers who seem to have an obscene bloodlust.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for obscene
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscene
Adjective
-
The illicit chatbots allegedly produced pornographic images.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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Pamela Martin, 44, and her boyfriend Christopher O’Kane, 41, both pleaded guilty in March to three counts of making an indecent image of a child, two counts of distributing an indecent image of a child, possession of an extreme pornographic image and publishing an obscene article.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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What a disgusting story all around.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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Making a disgusting joke about assassinating the President #2.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But demeaning our brand through association with vulgar demagogues is a losing strategy.—
Alma Hernandez,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
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The word was considered so vulgar that it was left out of early dictionaries and was rarely printed, though Adams says people were certainly using it.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The most expensive Republican primary for governor in Georgia history is still a dead heat despite a staggering avalanche of ad spending and one of the ugliest intraparty fights in recent memory.—
Greg Bluestein,
AJC.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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Ohm, well played by Scott who can wither with you with a look, is the classic ugly American and is rude to everyone at the hotel, but those putdowns and cruelty hides his self loathing.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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After Queta picked up his fourth foul minutes into the second half of Game 5 and was lifted for Vucevic, Embiid proceeded to score 10 points in the next four minutes, powering a 15-3 Sixers run that flipped the game.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
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On a 1-1 count, Cubs infielder Matt Shaw hit a weak dribbler down the third base line that teetered on the edge of fair or foul.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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And there was going to be an awful lot of emotional resonance and relatability with today’s generation of young women with Mary Bennet, more so than there would be [with Elizabeth Bennet.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
7 May 2026
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The mother-haver at Forster’s school could never trust in the safety of his awful secret.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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During the Braves’ recent trip to Philadelphia, Kyle Farmer came down with a nasty illness possibly brought on by norovirus.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
1 May 2026
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Mfume has not joined in the negative attack game, but Conway, like other failing candidates, has decided his only political pathway is simply to run a nasty and divisive campaign.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
3 May 2026
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Aston Villa 1-1 Tottenham Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest Again, this is horrible scheduling on a Bank Holiday Monday afternoon, three days before Forest go to Villa for the second leg of that Europa League semi-final.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obscene.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscene. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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