raunch
Americannoun
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smuttiness or vulgarity; crudeness; obscenity.
porno magazines and other purveyors of raunch.
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slovenliness; grubbiness.
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an earthy, raw musical style derived from blues and gospel.
a singer who can go easily from raunch to rock.
noun
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lack of polish or refinement; crudeness
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slovenliness or untidiness
Etymology
Origin of raunch
1960–65, back formation from raunchy
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.
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
He’s always taken an opposing approach from Maron, purveying raunch instead of raw honesty, channeling swagger, shock and dismissiveness as opposed to connection and intimacy.
From Salon • Jun. 4, 2025
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
Ali Wong: A writer for ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat,” Wong mixes raunch, pop culture and stories about growing up with Chinese and Vietnamese parents in her energetic stand-up.
From Washington Post • Mar. 31, 2016
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.
