obscene
Americanadjective
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offensive to morality or decency; indecent; depraved.
obscene language.
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causing uncontrolled sexual desire.
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abominable; disgusting; repulsive.
adjective
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offensive or outrageous to accepted standards of decency or modesty
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law (of publications) having a tendency to deprave or corrupt
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disgusting; repellent
an obscene massacre
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of obscene
First recorded in 1585–95, obscene is from the Latin word obscēnus, obscaenus
Explanation
Obscene describes something that is morally offensive in a sexual way. It's never a good idea to use obscene language at school. Certain films, books, magazines, and other forms of entertainment are considered obscene because they portray sex in a very frank way that some people find vulgar and lewd. Obscene material, language, and jokes are considered taboo in polite society. Obscene can also be used to describe something repulsive — like when your friend ate an obscene number of snails at the Bastille Day bash.
Vocabulary lists containing obscene
Speak
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Prince (1958-2016) Tribute List
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 2
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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.
Production designer Cat Smith said she had attended a similarly exclusive all-girls school nearby, Marlborough, giving her insight into the obscene wealth people had and what they did with it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Ultimately, books were removed “not because they contain sexually obscene material, but because they contain content protected by law,” Graves said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Both of these famous women have long fought to be humanized while also marketing an obscene amount of stuff to us.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
The district attorney later determined that the books weren’t actually obscene.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
The denture was an obscene little artifact—silver and pearl and tangerine.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
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.
