as in curse
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
used vulgarisms that embarrassed his family
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vulgarism
As the Oxford English Dictionary notes, the expression not hardly is considered a vulgarism.
—
Nr Editors, National Review, 16 Apr. 2020
The British cringed over new American accents, coinages and vulgarisms.
—Time, 11 June 2019
Trump himself has deployed vulgarisms for the female anatomy, plus T-shirts calling Democrat Hillary Clinton the same word were regularly spotted at Trump rallies during the 2016 campaign.
—Maria Puente, USA TODAY, 1 June 2018
As her unwillingness to come right out and say a vulgarism suggests, Mrs. Bush was in many ways a throwback.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Apr. 2018
Nr Editors, National Review, 16 Apr. 2020
The British cringed over new American accents, coinages and vulgarisms.
—Time, 11 June 2019
Trump himself has deployed vulgarisms for the female anatomy, plus T-shirts calling Democrat Hillary Clinton the same word were regularly spotted at Trump rallies during the 2016 campaign.
—Maria Puente, USA TODAY, 1 June 2018
As her unwillingness to come right out and say a vulgarism suggests, Mrs. Bush was in many ways a throwback.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vulgarism
Noun
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At the beginning of her music career, Jordan was (rightfully) hailed as a prodigy—a blessing and a curse.—
Grace Robins-Somerville,
Pitchfork,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Meeting Rachel’s parents and getting that backstory leads her into discovering this family curse.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Speech-language pathologists work with people who have disorders involving speech, language and swallowing, sometimes from injuries, medical conditions or developmental delays.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Once each semester, Grit Matthias Phelps, a German language instructor at Cornell University, introduces her students to the raw feeling of typing without online assistance.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Kennedy could be heard hurling swears at the Swedish team.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
23 Feb. 2026
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And Boring would be that much closer to its 90,000-rider pinkie-swear.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Chico State allegations were covered by the Chico Enterprise-Record, which reported in 2006 that players accused Goodenbour of degrading them and directing obscenities at them.—
Julia Haney,
NPR,
28 Mar. 2026
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That has given the agency the legal ability to regulate such things as indecency and obscenity, as well as commercials in children’s programming.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Tensions rose, neighbors said, to the point that King was heard at times swearing at Kirsten Wells as well as others using vulgar epithets.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
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The person who shouted the epithet was John Davidson, an activist with Tourette syndrome, who removed himself from the room and later apologized, as did BAFTA and BBC, the show’s broadcaster, which failed to edit out the slur during the broadcast.—
G. Allen Johnson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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On some of her livestreams, she can be seen screaming expletives in the face of police officers.—
Brian Maass,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
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Hurley's mother, Christine, was among them and in true Hurley family fashion let a few expletives fly after the last-second win.—
Andrew McCarty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Police said the man was standing on the roof with a shotgun, pointing the weapon at people working in the backyard of a neighboring home and yelling profanities, including racist remarks.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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The situation escalated when one member of the group used profanity while gathering their belongings.—
Darlin Tillery,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vulgarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vulgarism. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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