1
as in low
belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank
paintings that appeal to vulgar tastes
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
a warning about the movie's vulgar language
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in general
held by or applicable to a majority of the people
the vulgar opinion is that the nation is in decline
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4
as in crass
lacking in refinement or good taste
vulgar behavior shown by someone who's made a lot of money and wants everyone to know it
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5
as in colloquial
used in or suitable for speech and not formal writing
Latin was once the language of scholars, and English the vulgar language used by the common people
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vulgar
Death penalty states generally allow last statements from the execution chamber, but Texas catalogs the prisoners’ last words online, except for vulgar and racist language or what sounds unintelligible.
—
Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 20 May 2026
Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong apologized for using vulgar language in a heated exchange with a fan during Sunday’s loss to the Chicago White Sox.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
Crow-Armstrong was heckled by the woman, who sat just behind the fencing, and in return threw a vulgar and explicit phrase her way, as seen in a video circulating on social media.
—Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
Glamorous on the verge of vulgar, elegant yet unrestrained, and unmistakably luxurious.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for vulgar
Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 20 May 2026
Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong apologized for using vulgar language in a heated exchange with a fan during Sunday’s loss to the Chicago White Sox.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
Crow-Armstrong was heckled by the woman, who sat just behind the fencing, and in return threw a vulgar and explicit phrase her way, as seen in a video circulating on social media.
—Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
Glamorous on the verge of vulgar, elegant yet unrestrained, and unmistakably luxurious.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for vulgar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vulgar
Adjective
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The rulings do not clear the former paramedics of wrongdoing but return the cases to the lower court for a possible retrial.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
5 June 2026
-
The tech contagion spread to stocks in Asia, dragging key indexes lower.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
Adjective
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It was seized by the post office (as Rosset had expected) and duly declared obscene by the postmaster of the city of New York, a man named Robert Christenberry.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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Who says a man can’t appreciate the gleaming, obscene form of an Aston Martin supercar or the growl of its overpriced engine?—
Alex James Kane,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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That's our mission now is to help other DIYers learn how to do more on their project, from general contracting all the way through some of the actual construction elements.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
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There are chances to take a deep dive into various history or literature classes beyond general education requirements, or for students to discover their passions or potential career pathways, Ellman said.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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The service There’s nothing as crass as a check-in desk here.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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In fact, the very term anti-Semitism was popularized by Wilhelm Marr, a German nationalist who sought to distinguish his anti-Jewish ideology from the crass bigotry of the common folk by dressing his hate up in pseudoscientific terms.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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Its name refers to the colloquial term once used for Papaya—paw-paw.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Southern Living,
30 May 2026
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The Solons name refers to an ancient Greek lawmaker, whose name later became a colloquial term for wise legislators, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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The most memorable, and notorious, moment from the race was the ignoble exit of Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
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That ignoble mini-streak ends this year.—
Glen Weldon,
NPR,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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There is plenty of pornographic decoration in contemporary popular culture, but very little of it is consequential.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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Authorities alleged that their tactics included intimidating the women, placing them under constant surveillance and forcing them to perform pornographic acts that were then shared on social media.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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The group noted the projection was revised upward from an earlier estimate owing to an additional year in the budget window and higher prevailing interest rates.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
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Likewise, prevailing concepts of Hamlet at the time cast the prince as a wan and melancholic, leading critics to bristle at Bernhardt’s energy.—
Betsy Golden Kellem,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vulgar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vulgar. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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