obscenity

noun

äb-ˈse-nə-tē How to pronounce obscenity (audio)
Definition of obscenitynext
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

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 obscenity Police received multiple reports related to juveniles consuming alcohol, noise, obscenities being shouted, and more, according to Florida Today, part of USA TODAY Network. — Taylor Ardrey, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2025 Though this form of censorship has since been deemed unconstitutional by various U.S. Supreme Court decisions, debates over what constitutes obscenity, child pornography and artistic expression persist. — Amy Werbel, The Conversation, 24 Jan. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for obscenity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscenity
  1. vulgarity
  2. curse
  3. swear
  4. profanity
  5. language
  6. vulgarism
  7. indecency
  8. expletive
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of vulgarity
Noun
  • 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
  • Flubber can do anything, which is both a blessing and a curse for Professor Brainard.
    — Kara Nesvig, Parents, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of curse
Noun
  • 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
Definition of swear
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of profanity
Noun
  • 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
  • Geer noted that state Sen. Cathy Osten and Rep. Kadeem Roberts have been advocates for the bill and that the tribe helped with some of the language in the bill.
    — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of language
Noun
  • 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, Time, 11 June 2019
Definition of vulgarism
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of indecency
Noun
  • Carey then stood, accused Edwards of lying and used a string of expletives until police escorted him out of the auditorium.
    — Hannah Schoenbaum, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Around the five-second mark in the video, the toddler turns to the camera, still in her mom's arms, to mime along to an expletive in the GloRilla track playing over the video.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of expletive

Browse Nearby Words

obscenities
obscenity
obscurant
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Cite this Entry

“Obscenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscenity. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on obscenity

Nglish: Translation of obscenity for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about obscenity

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