raunchy
Americanadjective
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vulgar or smutty; crude; earthy; obscene.
a raunchy joke.
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dirty; slovenly; grubby.
adjective
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openly sexual; lusty; earthy
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slovenly or untidy
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing 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.
“It’s raunchy, and hilarious without being just joke-punchline, and empowering, and you leave feeling like you got a glimpse into who she is.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026
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
The joke is mildly funny to liberal America, where no one is surprised that women can have raunchy senses of humor.
From Salon • Dec. 31, 2024
When we opened the boxes up, we found a payload of raunchy, orangey red T-shirts faded out in places and with the odd ripped seam adding character.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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.
