obscenity

American  

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

noun

• obscenities
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• antiobscenity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• obscenities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of obscenity

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

Explanation

An obscenity is a dirty word or phrase. It can also refer to the quality of being lewd, bawdy, or just plain offensive. You know those four-letter words that everyone knows but not everyone likes to hear? The ones that will get you in trouble if you say them in school or on television? They are obscenities, which are also known as swear words. You can also say that anything offensive or inappropriate is an obscenity. This can include things that are not only dirty, but things that are offensive in other ways. Many say torture and war are obscenities.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

obscenity obscenities

"We're running out of words to describe the obscenity of these numbers," Greenpeace political campaigner Rudy Schulkind said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

The Supreme Court recognized the constitutional obscenity of that arrangement as early as Strauder v.

From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2026

Kenyon’s 1958 history of the Stuart dynasty, which began with James and lasted 111 years, cited James’s “vulgarity, obscenity and uproarious pedantry.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

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 ● Dec. 3, 2025

Please confine yourself to discussing issues and such; thereby you will at least avoid obscenity and offense.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

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 ● Jan. 28, 2026

Beyond the melting shadows of the arena, gladiatrices would have heard thousands of faceless spectators howl obscenities, felt the heat of their breath, and smelled the mass of bodies raging in the night.

From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2024

Attempts have been made to cover it over, but some of the obscenities can still be read.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2023

First, not all homeless people have serious mental illness — not even most do, even people who smell horrible or scream obscenities to no one in particular.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2022

“How dare you scream obscenities at me. Someone grab that boy,” Ignatius said wildly as George disappeared into the crowds of pedestrians farther down the street.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Related Words

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