noun
-
the state or quality of being profane
-
vulgar or irreverent action, speech, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of profanity
From the Late Latin word profānitās, dating back to 1600–10. See profane, -ity
Explanation
Profanity is a type of language that includes dirty words and ideas. Swear words, obscene gestures, and naughty jokes are all considered profanity. You know those four-letter words you're not supposed to say? They're profanity: language that's vulgar and obscene. R-rated movies and cable stations like HBO have a lot of profanity, but you won't hear it on a station like NBC or ABC. Profanity tends to be about off-color subjects, like sex and going to the bathroom. Everyone probably spews some profanity at some point, but you better be careful about who's listening.
Vocabulary lists containing profanity
"Only Daughter" and "Calling a Foul"
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Odd One Out
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The Red Pony
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sydney said her mother opening The Old Profanity "was definitely one of the most powerful things that she had done in her life".
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2024
Profanity is the easiest way to define incivility because you can just create a search for certain words, said Masullo.
From Salon • Aug. 18, 2022
The Profanity saga is a complicated one, more nuanced than in Wielgus’s telling, with accounts that turn on details that I have been unable to reconcile.
From New York Times • Jul. 5, 2018
Profanity, a club slam into the turf in frustration and basic errors were among what followed but so too, crucially, was plenty of reason for encouragement.
From The Guardian • Feb. 22, 2018
Profanity and obscenity are said to be mingled in the speech of the common people to an extent unknown among almost any other people on earth.
From A Fantasy of Mediterranean Travel by Bayne, S. G.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
