obscene

[ uhb-seen ]
See synonyms for: obsceneobscenely on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. offensive to morality or decency; indecent; depraved: obscene language.

  2. causing uncontrolled sexual desire.

  1. abominable; disgusting; repulsive.

Origin of obscene

1
First recorded in 1585–95, obscene is from the Latin word obscēnus, obscaenus

Other words from obscene

  • ob·scene·ly, adverb
  • ob·scene·ness, noun
  • un·ob·scene, adjective
  • un·ob·scene·ly, adverb
  • un·ob·scene·ness, noun

Words that may be confused with obscene

Words Nearby obscene

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use obscene in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for obscene

obscene

/ (əbˈsiːn) /


adjective
  1. offensive or outrageous to accepted standards of decency or modesty

  2. law (of publications) having a tendency to deprave or corrupt

  1. disgusting; repellent: an obscene massacre

Origin of obscene

1
C16: from Latin obscēnus inauspicious, perhaps related to caenum filth

Derived forms of obscene

  • obscenely, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012