vulgarity
Americannoun
-
the state or quality of being vulgar.
the vulgarity of his remark.
- Synonyms:
- tastelessness, indelicacy, grossness, crudeness
-
something vulgar, as an act or expression.
noun
-
the condition of being vulgar; lack of good manners
-
a vulgar action, phrase, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of vulgarity
First recorded in 1570–80, vulgarity is from the Late Latin word vulgāritās commonness, the public. See vulgar, -ity
Explanation
Vulgarity is the quality of being crude and lacking refinement. Many people consider swearing to be a form of vulgarity. One of the criteria used in assessing a movie's rating is how much vulgarity is involved. Shows on premium cable or streaming services can generally include more vulgarity — crass language or humor, and adult situations — than shows on network television. Vulgarity comes from the Latin word vulgaris, meaning "relating to the common people" or "low and common."
Vocabulary lists containing vulgarity
Journalism
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Mitt Romney's comments about Donald Trump
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A Clockwork Orange
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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:
In response, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X: "We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valour."
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Since the pandemic, there has been an incredible phenomenon where vulgarity, crude humor and haunting news have gone viral on social-media platforms, creating an entertainment expectation from our representatives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
Some people think that in order to be funny, stand-up comedy needs to be in your face, controversial and full of vulgarity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2024
This is also a woman who chided her granddaughter that “vulgarity is no substitute for wit,” while proudly and without apology wielding her class-conscious vulgarity over her family and the servants.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2024
Across the pastures, the incredible vulgarity of highly amplified hillbilly music drifted from the cafe on the highway.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
Mr. Trump’s vulgarities do cause distress among Republicans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
In her recent New York Times article about the "coarsening" of the religious right, Ruth Graham alluded to this, writing about the trend of evangelical leaders using "vulgarities."
From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2024
It is heartening, however, to see people of all races protesting the racist vulgarities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2022
Read the review: Considering the indignities Monroe endured during her life, “it is a relief that she didn’t have to suffer through the vulgarities of ‘Blonde,’” The Times’s Manohla Dargis writes.
From New York Times ● Sep. 29, 2022
Then, too, there was all of that mascara and lipstick and other vulgarities which I would rather not catalogue.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
