vulgar

American  

[vuhl-ger] / ˈvʌl gər /

adjective

1. characterized by ignorance of or lack of good breeding or taste.

   vulgar ostentation.

   Synonyms:

   ribald, coarse, low, inelegant, unrefined

2. indecent; obscene; lewd.

   a vulgar work; a vulgar gesture.

3. crude; coarse; unrefined.

   a vulgar peasant.

   Synonyms:

   rude, boorish

4. of, relating to, or constituting the ordinary people in a society.

   the vulgar masses.

5. current; popular; common.

   a vulgar success; vulgar beliefs.

6. spoken by, or being in the language spoken by, the people generally; vernacular.

   vulgar tongue.

   Synonyms:

   colloquial

7. lacking in distinction, aesthetic value, or charm; banal; ordinary.

   a vulgar painting.

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noun

1. Archaic. the common people.

2. Obsolete. the vernacular.

vulgar British  

/ ˈvʌlɡə /

adjective

1. marked by lack of taste, culture, delicacy, manners, etc

   vulgar behaviour

   vulgar language

2. (often capital; usually prenominal) denoting a form of a language, esp of Latin, current among common people, esp at a period when the formal language is archaic and not in general spoken use

3. archaic

   1. of, relating to, or current among the great mass of common people, in contrast to the educated, cultured, or privileged; ordinary

   2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      the vulgar

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Usage

Terms that are labeled Vulgar in this dictionary are considered inappropriate in many circumstances because of their association with a taboo subject. Major taboo subjects in English-speaking countries are sex and excretion and the parts of the body associated with those functions.

Related Words

See common.

Other Word Forms

• unvulgar adjective
• unvulgarly adverb
• unvulgarness noun
• vulgarly adverb
• vulgarness noun

Etymology

Origin of vulgar

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin vulgāris, from vulg(us) “common people, crowd” + -āris -ar ¹

Explanation

Someone who's vulgar has bad taste, and could also be called unrefined or unsophisticated. Your snobby neighbor might mutter about your family's vulgar taste if you paint your house with hot pink stripes. From the Latin vulgus, meaning "the common people," vulgar is an adjective that can describe anything from the sexually explicit to the merely ugly and crass. A crude joke could be considered vulgar, as could a breach of etiquette at a dinner party. Your dad might love the lights and glamour of Times Square, while your mom finds all the brightly colored corporate logos to be vulgar.

Example Sentences

Why do we recoil when a leader is vulgar and violent in his language and thinking?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

When, instead, another Black Democrat from Chicago, Barack Obama, headed toward the Democratic nomination in 2008, Jackson’s frustration spilled into public with a vulgar criticism of Obama caught on microphone.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

But now, online scammers were co-opting her iconic image for "vulgar and despicable attempts to exploit her legacy", the Brigitte Bardot Foundation said.

From BBC • Jan. 4, 2026

“The comments were vulgar, offensive and false, and we apologize for the hurt they have caused,” the company said Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

“It is not my mission to listen to her before the vulgar herd either: I mean to have her all to myself. Is there a fire in the library?”

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

• boorish
• coarse
• crude
• disgusting
• filthy
• impolite
• indecent
• nasty
• naughty
• obscene
• off-color
• profane
• ribald
• scatological
• suggestive
• tasteless
• tawdry