obscenity
[ uhb-sen-i-tee, -see-ni- ]
/ əbˈsɛn ɪ ti, -ˈsi nɪ- /
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noun, plural ob·scen·i·ties for 2, 3.
OTHER WORDS FOR obscenity
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Origin of obscenity
OTHER WORDS FROM obscenity
an·ti·ob·scen·i·ty, noun, plural an·ti·ob·scen·i·ties, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use obscenity in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for obscenity
obscenity
/ (əbˈsɛnɪtɪ) /
noun plural -ties
the state or quality of being obscene
an obscene act, statement, word, etc
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
Cultural definitions for obscenity
obscenity
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.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.