noun
-
the state or quality of being profane
-
vulgar or irreverent action, speech, etc
Other Word Forms
- nonprofanity noun
- semiprofanity noun
Etymology
Origin of profanity
From the Late Latin word profānitās, dating back to 1600–10. See profane, -ity
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.
She said she volunteered in November to mediate the meetings, instructing residents to wait their turn to speak or rephrase their questions without profanity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026
More recent performers have included this past year's headliner Kendrick Lamar, the rapper who cut out profanity but still performed a viral diss track of his rival Drake.
From Barron's • Oct. 22, 2025
Content review is assisted by bots such as ClueBot NG, which identifies profanity and unencyclopedic punctuation like “!!!11.”
From Slate • Aug. 24, 2023
“Religious or provocative imagery, curse words, profanity, sports teams, political brands and national flags are all potentially offensive,” says Harding Bush, a senior manager for security operations at Global Rescue.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 10, 2023
Displays of temper were almost unheard of; no utterances of profanity are recorded in the extensive recollections of his students and colleagues.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
