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.
He probably thinks this one is in the raunchy lineage of Dance Mania records, but it’s not nearly as committed to the bit.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
OK, so all of that’s totally true, but “Kevin” is mostly a silly, raunchy animated series with a star-studded comedy cast about talking animals and their escapades in a life generally free of human owners.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026
In the late 1990s and early aughts, the conservative Parents Television Council struck fear in the hearts of network TV executives for its high-profile campaigns against shows it deemed too raunchy.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2025
The film wasn’t poking fun at gay men, nor was it particularly raunchy.
From Salon • Jun. 21, 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
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.
