raunchy

American  

[rawn-chee, rahn-] / ˈrɔn tʃi, ˈrɑn- /

adjective

Informal.

raunchier, raunchiest

1. vulgar or smutty; crude; earthy; obscene.

   a raunchy joke.

2. dirty; slovenly; grubby.

3. lecherous.

---

raunchy British  

/ ˈrɔːntʃɪ /

adjective

1. openly sexual; lusty; earthy

2. slovenly or untidy

---

Other Word Forms

• raunchiness
  noun
• raunchily
  adverb

---

Etymology

Origin of raunchy

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; origin uncertain

---

Explanation

Something raunchy is dirty in one sense or another: it's either literally covered in dirt or suggesting dirty sexual situations. Raunchy started off as Army Air Corps slang for something sloppy in 1939. But by the 60's the word had grown to imply another kind of dirtiness: the vulgar, sexual kind. So these days it's safe to assume that a raunchy movie, for example, is full of foul language, obscenities, and graphic sex scenes. And in case you're wondering, an R-rated movie is much more likely to be raunchy than a G movie.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

raunchy raunchier raunchiest

“Spinal Tap” sent-up self-important band documentaries like “The Last Waltz”; “The Sure Thing” attempted to liberate the teen sex comedy from raunchy “Porky’s”-style copycats.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2025

The genre’s marginal roots complicate blanket condemnations, since the same raunchy lyrics often encode critiques of class exclusion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025

The film wasn’t poking fun at gay men, nor was it particularly raunchy.

From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2025

Jiggly’s time on “Drag Race” had a rocky start but she earned a reputation for her raunchy humor and dynamic dance moves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2025

How could he leave me in that raunchy bar and go off with his woman?

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

The protagonists of those shows and raunchier offshoots like “Bachelor in Paradise” often found their social followings shooting up into the millions, jump-starting careers or side hustles pitching vitamin gummies or meal kits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026

RuPaul's show also made drag into a family-friendly entertainment, at least when it gets stripped of some of the raunchier humor.

From Salon ● Dec. 9, 2022

If she thought drivers were cheating on the meter, she would do battle, jump out without paying and yell a raunchier version of “Don’t ever mess with a New Yorker!”

From New York Times ● Dec. 11, 2021

That means it’s probably within the PG-13 guidelines, and therefore more similar to High School Musical: The Musical: The Series than Hulu’s raunchier shows based around teen characters, like PEN15.

From The Verge ● Feb. 25, 2020

Back then, ‘yo’ mama’ jokes were all the rage, and Cho was a master — quicker, sharper and raunchier than all his friends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2020

New producer Jimmy Miller helps strip the band down to its rawest, raunchiest essence on songs like “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Stray Cat Blues,” and “Street Fighting Man.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

It’s a bit of a headscratcher how a bunch of descendants of Puritans in a New England state ended up putting some of the raunchiest messages on state-issued license plates.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 2022

Easily the raunchiest Confederate relic north of the Cotton Belt is Maryland’s never-in-mode state song, “Maryland, My Maryland.”

From Washington Post ● Apr. 9, 2021

Plautus never got back to me with statutory citations but his characterization of my posts did inspire a piece that I had some fun with mourning the Disneyfication of the raunchiest block in America.

From Forbes ● May 30, 2012

Reading crime novels in mixed company, now that some of the toughest and raunchiest fictional cops, detectives and villains are women, has become a delicate exercise in sexual politics.

From Time Magazine Archive

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---