1
as in vulgarity
the quality or state of being obscene
the song couldn't be performed on the air due to the obscenity of the lyrics
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in curse
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
uttered a loud obscenity when he dropped the hammer on his toe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obscenity
The house, formerly inhabited by Russian soldiers, exhibited the obscenities of forceful dispossession.
—
C.j. Chivers Robert Fass Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Naked Lunch was banned in Boston and Los Angeles under obscenity statutes.
—Ira Silverberg, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2024
He was also arrested in 2002 for possessing child pornography, though those charges were later dropped and reduced to a misdemeanor charge for obscenity.
—James Factora, Them, 27 Jan. 2025
Deputies said the victim was struck with a belt more than 50 times and was choked and called several disparaging names and other obscenities.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 17 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for obscenity
C.j. Chivers Robert Fass Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Naked Lunch was banned in Boston and Los Angeles under obscenity statutes.
—Ira Silverberg, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2024
He was also arrested in 2002 for possessing child pornography, though those charges were later dropped and reduced to a misdemeanor charge for obscenity.
—James Factora, Them, 27 Jan. 2025
Deputies said the victim was struck with a belt more than 50 times and was choked and called several disparaging names and other obscenities.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 17 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for obscenity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscenity
Noun
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Attention-grabbing vulgarity aside, Pearl was talking hoops, not other things that have been central to Auburn men’s basketball discourse of late.—
Joe Rexrode,
The Athletic,
15 Mar. 2025
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So cheers to Schulz—and Emma, who agreed to share their story—for helping to normalize IVF, even if vulgarity was his way of doing so!—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Then, Democrats have to be thinking about what happens if Republicans only have a mild case of the midterm curse.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
14 Mar. 2025
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Flubber can do anything, which is both a blessing and a curse for Professor Brainard.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Could a nice good swear on the pitch to express one’s anger stop a player from lashing out physically, channelling their anger through their vocal cords rather than their fists?—
Nick Miller,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
-
The station asked the band not to include the swears.—
Kris Holt,
Forbes,
2 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The rules include abstaining from substances that are already forbidden by the LDS Church, practicing chastity, forgoing the use of profanity and following a dress code that prohibits men from wearing beards or goatees and requires skirts to be no shorter than knee-length.—
Ashley Hume,
Fox News,
18 Mar. 2025
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Candidates for the Summit Hill Elementary District 161 Board denounced a note featuring profanity and anti-Muslim sentiment as reprehensible rhetoric from a community member.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Owned by the American toy company Hasbro, Monopoly is licensed to 113 countries and printed in 46 languages around the globe.—
Ann Rutledge,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
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The biggest network targeted by Trump’s dismantling is Voice of America, a global news outlet with stations and websites in local languages around the world.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
As the Oxford English Dictionary notes, the expression not hardly is considered a vulgarism.—
NR Editors,
National Review,
16 Apr. 2020
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The British cringed over new American accents, coinages and vulgarisms.—
Time,
Time,
11 June 2019
Noun
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Less than two years later in 1977, he was convicted of indecency with a 12-year-old girl and served just over three years in prison.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA TODAY,
5 Mar. 2025
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Todd was outspoken about the corrosive impacts of Trump-era lies and indecency — and was ridiculed by Trump and others for it.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The next thing Harrelson saw was a gaggle of roadies screaming expletives and running toward him.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
25 Feb. 2025
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Both Grisham and Mata can be heard shouting expletives at officers in video of the dispute.—
Cody Copeland,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obscenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscenity. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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