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Synonyms

vulgarism

American  
[vuhl-guh-riz-uhm] / ˈvʌl gəˌrɪz əm /

noun

  1. vulgar behavior or character; vulgarity.

  2. a vulgar expression; a word or phrase used only in common colloquial, and especially in coarse, speech.


vulgarism British  
/ ˈvʌlɡəˌrɪzəm /

noun

  1. a coarse, crude, or obscene expression

  2. a word or phrase found only in the vulgar form of a language

  3. another word for vulgarity

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of vulgarism

First recorded in 1635–45; vulgar + -ism

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.

See Examples For:

Well, the Games brought a large wave of vulgarism to Hyde Park for the men's triathlon on Tuesday and I was happy to be part of it.

From The Guardian Aug. 8, 2012

Old Lady Ely used to say that Lord Fife was one of the few men who could with impunity quiz, as it were, the Queen� to use a vulgarism, get the best of her.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Naff off," an upper-class vulgarism, is gaining popularity around the world largely through Anne's efforts.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Olympics had opened with the kind of easy pomp which the British are so good at, with none of the neo-pagan vulgarism which characterized the 1936 Berlin Olympiad.

From Time Magazine Archive

"I believe you, my boy!" said Leslie, quoting an expressive vulgarism which Orpheus C. Kerr had just been making so extensively popular.

From Shoulder-Straps A Novel of New York and the Army, 1862 by Morford, Henry

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