raunch

American  

[rawnch, rahnch] / rɔntʃ, rɑntʃ /

noun

Informal.

1. smuttiness or vulgarity; crudeness; obscenity.

   porno magazines and other purveyors of raunch.

2. slovenliness; grubbiness.

3. an earthy, raw musical style derived from blues and gospel.

   a singer who can go easily from raunch to rock.

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raunch British  

/ rɔːntʃ /

noun

1. lack of polish or refinement; crudeness

2. slovenliness or untidiness

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Etymology

Origin of raunch

1960–65, back formation from raunchy

Example Sentences

If Hulu’s “Shoresy” is the poster child for successfully balancing raunch and heart, “Ted” is on the opposite end — crass and lazy.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

Not to slight Hill, who co-produced the film and co-wrote the sharp, occasionally bloodletting screenplay with Barris, but, raunch aside, the film mostly has one man’s fingerprints all over it.

From Washington Post • Jan. 24, 2023

Also like many genres, dembow must contend with its patriarchal past and present, but it’s too simple, too narrow-minded to reduce it to plain raunch or misogyny.

From New York Times • Oct. 25, 2021

After all, she upstaged John C. Reilly in the man-child comedy “Step Brothers,” played the gentle rabbi on “Transparent” and spewed good-natured raunch in the “Bad Moms” franchise. 

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2021

This may be because we usually see these two cultures situated oppositionally: either raunch is a path of resistance away from conservative religiosity or vice versa.

From Salon • Oct. 22, 2020