obscenity

American  

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

noun

plural

obscenities

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

• antiobscenity noun

Etymology

Origin of obscenity

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

Example Sentences

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

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

The film, among the first to receive an X rating, was the subject of 23 prosecutions for obscenity, which didn’t get in the way of it becoming a breakout hit in 1968.

From The Wall Street Journal

Maybe it’s just a vibe, or as Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once wrote about obscenity: “I know it when I see it.”

From Barron's

Anderson founded “The Little Review” in Chicago in 1913 and nurtured it into a publication that moved to New York and Paris — and played a part in the infamous “Ulysses” obscenity trial.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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