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Synonym Chooser

How is the word obscene different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of obscene are coarse, gross, ribald, and vulgar. While all these words mean "offensive to good taste or morals," obscene applies to anything strongly repulsive to the sense of decency and propriety especially in sexual matters.

obscene language not allowed on the air

When might coarse be a better fit than obscene?

While the synonyms coarse and obscene are close in meaning, coarse implies roughness, rudeness, or crudeness of spirit, behavior, or language.

found the coarse humor of coworkers offensive

When is gross a more appropriate choice than obscene?

The words gross and obscene can be used in similar contexts, but gross implies extreme coarseness and insensitiveness.

gross eating habits

When would ribald be a good substitute for obscene?

The words ribald and obscene are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ribald applies to what is amusingly or picturesquely vulgar or irreverent or mildly indecent.

entertained the campers with ribald folk songs

In what contexts can vulgar take the place of obscene?

The synonyms vulgar and obscene are sometimes interchangeable, but vulgar often implies boorishness or ill-breeding.

a loud vulgar belch

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of obscene Stop into any local bakery and ask for their specialty, many of which contain obscene amounts of egg yolks. Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 26 Apr. 2025 The legislation also specifies that a business could face multiple lawsuits over the same piece of material deemed obscene if more than one person decides to launch a case. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025 Around the same time, Salinas police detectives heard from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which received a tip from an online service provider that Betancourt accessed obscene material involving minors engaged in lewd acts. Bay City News Service, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2025 The investigation began when detectives with the Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit served a search warrant in Bakersfield based on a tip about a person who was in possession and used obscene material involving an underage girl, authorities announced in a news release on Tuesday. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for obscene
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscene
Adjective
  • Conrad wraps the conversation by being incredibly disgusting about Bella’s nether regions.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 1 June 2025
  • For the next 200 years, snails only appeared in Parisian cookbooks alongside an apology for including such a disgusting ingredient.
    Garritt C. Van Dyk, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 May 2025
Adjective
  • The survey examined a minimum of 1,000 comments per team and found less than 1% of posts made by fans of the Dallas Wings contained swear words or vulgar comments.
    Alyssa Cooper, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 May 2025
  • The program was incredibly close-knit—kids practiced most days of the week, and hung out almost exclusively with their fellow All-Stars, as well as with the vulgar, charismatic teacher who structured their lives.
    Air Mail, Air Mail, 3 May 2025
Adjective
  • Tech wealth here looks even less appealing than that of the Roy family (the expensively beige décor is even uglier).
    Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 4 June 2025
  • During the negotiation of USMCA in 2018, the current trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada that Trump managed during his first term, conversations between the President and GM occasionally turned ugly.
    Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 3 June 2025
Adjective
  • Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene slid into foul territory down the left-field line in pursuit of Chase Meidroth’s third-inning fly ball, then disappeared in a cloud of dust.
    Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
  • Then, Muncy went deep again, continuing his recent surge by belting another three-run homer high off the right-field foul pole, tying a career-high with seven RBIs on the day.
    Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2025
Adjective
  • Over the 18 games following a 21-run eruption against the historically awful Colorado Rockies, the Padres ranked last in the majors in OPS and third-to-last in runs per game.
    Dennis Lin, New York Times, 2 June 2025
  • The timing isn’t awful for SDFC, which doesn’t play its next league game until June 14 and expected Lozano to be absent possibly into early July on national-team duty.
    Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2025
Adjective
  • Well, as referenced above, the United States was coming out of a nasty recession tied to the crisis in the mortgage market.
    Ken Roberts, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
  • Depending on a team to string together hits — or even contact — to score multiple runs in an inning against pitchers with nasty stuff is a hard way to win.
    Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • But the defense is hoping to cast her recollections merely as sickening details in a deranged love story between two consenting and jealous adults.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 17 May 2025
  • For years, raw sewage from Mexico has poured across the border into Southern California, fouling beaches, sickening residents and sparking diplomatic as well as environmental concerns.
    Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 May 2025
Adjective
  • The law specifically spells out heating problems, pest infestations and filthy conditions as among the issues that could require a court’s intervention.
    Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 30 May 2025
  • Detectives have criminally charged the owner of nearly 50 Belgian Malinois dogs that were found trapped together in a cramped, filthy Queens apartment, police said Wednesday.
    Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 14 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Obscene.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscene. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on obscene

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