obscenity

American  

[uhb-sen-i-tee, -see-ni-] / əbˈsɛn ɪ ti, -ˈsi nɪ- /

noun

• obscenities
  plural

1. the character or quality of being obscene; indecency; lewdness.

2. something obscene, as a picture or story.

3. an obscene word or expression, especially when used as an invective.

   Synonyms:

   swear word, profanity, oath, cussword, cuss, curse word, curse

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obscenity British  

/ əbˈsɛnɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being obscene

2. an obscene act, statement, word, etc

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obscenity Cultural  

1. Behavior, appearance, or expression (such as films and books) that violate accepted standards of sexual morality. American courts have long tried to define obscenity but without much success. Some believe, for example, that any depiction of nudity is obscene; others would argue that nudity in itself is not obscene. (See four-letter words (see also four-letter words) and pornography.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antiobscenity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• obscenities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of obscenity

First recorded in 1600–10; from French obscenité, from Latin obscēnitās, equivalent to obscēn(us) obscene + -itās -ity

Explanation

An obscenity is a dirty word or phrase. It can also refer to the quality of being lewd, bawdy, or just plain offensive. You know those four-letter words that everyone knows but not everyone likes to hear? The ones that will get you in trouble if you say them in school or on television? They are obscenities, which are also known as swear words. You can also say that anything offensive or inappropriate is an obscenity. This can include things that are not only dirty, but things that are offensive in other ways. Many say torture and war are obscenities.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

obscenity obscenities

"We're running out of words to describe the obscenity of these numbers," Greenpeace political campaigner Rudy Schulkind said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

The Supreme Court recognized the constitutional obscenity of that arrangement as early as Strauder v.

From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2026

The commission sets rules for disclosing sponsors, emergency broadcasts, and content regarding obscenity and decency.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

To publish “Ulysses” in 1934 without risking prosecution, Random House first had to orchestrate a court case to prove the book innocent of obscenity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026

He sank his voice, like someone who is obliged for medical reasons to utter an obscenity.

From "1984" by George Orwell

That so many people in Minneapolis have endangered themselves by waving phones in the faces of armed federal officers and shouting obscenities as if they were psychotic is one of many unhappy consequences.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026

Beyond the melting shadows of the arena, gladiatrices would have heard thousands of faceless spectators howl obscenities, felt the heat of their breath, and smelled the mass of bodies raging in the night.

From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2024

For the sake of civility, the Writers Guild contract should include a requirement that all writers must learn how to write scripts without using obscenities at every turn.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2023

But she told MPs she would not "justify a news organisation whose anchor went out to shout obscenities at Tories" - a reference to claims about Jon Snow.

From BBC ● May 19, 2022

Now we walk along the same street, in red pairs, and no man shouts obscenities at us, speaks to us, touches us.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• four-letter word
• indecency
• pornography
• profanity
• smut
• vulgarity