1
as in curse
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
a rap song that is filled with profanities
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in vulgarity
the quality or state of being obscene
once notorious for its profanity, that 1950s best seller will strike today's readers as lamentably tame
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of profanity
The childish use of vulgar profanity simply leads peoople to view the speaker as being unable to express his/her view.
—
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2025
Kenyatta gave an even more impassioned appeal, using profanity while trying to portray the bill as part of a sinister plot by the rich to harm the poor.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 16 May 2025
Epic Games rapidly deployed a hotfix after players encountered the Sith Lord responding to their comments with profanity and strong language.
—ArsTechnica, 16 May 2025
For Dowd, Moira standing up to Lydia and telling her off brought back memories from the pilot, when Lydia had Janine’s eye famously removed for using profanity.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for profanity
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2025
Kenyatta gave an even more impassioned appeal, using profanity while trying to portray the bill as part of a sinister plot by the rich to harm the poor.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 16 May 2025
Epic Games rapidly deployed a hotfix after players encountered the Sith Lord responding to their comments with profanity and strong language.
—ArsTechnica, 16 May 2025
For Dowd, Moira standing up to Lydia and telling her off brought back memories from the pilot, when Lydia had Janine’s eye famously removed for using profanity.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for profanity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profanity
Noun
-
Christopher Walken stars as a school teacher who comes out of a coma with a gift that feels more like a terrifying curse.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
23 May 2025
-
While Rory McIlroy finally broke his 11-year curse to claim the green jacket, Bradley struggled, missing the cut with a 3-over-par.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
During the presentation by PMM Chesterton, which wants to redevelop the golf course, Kowalski used a vulgarity to describe how the houses would be too close to each other.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
1 June 2025
-
The fans in Section 204, directly beyond where a right fielder stands, eschewed artistry for straight-up vulgarity.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
Noun
-
With technical innovation and a brand defining visual language that dates back 102 years, TIME Studios aims to impact communities and the world at large with ideas that forge true progress.—
TIME PR,
Time,
27 May 2025
-
Previously, pro-Kremlin trolls had been notably restrained in commenting on Trump, using neutral or careful language, Agentstvo reported.—
Isabel van Brugen,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 May 2025
Noun
-
The word was forbidden in their household and treated like a swear.—
Ariana Yaptangco,
Glamour,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Is this the kind of situation where mild swears seem generally used?—
Stacey Colino,
Time,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The hip-hop stars of Coogler’s youth like NWA, Ice-T, 2 Live Crew, and Too Short were pursued by the government, accused of promoting obscenity and violence.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
2 June 2025
-
Children do not have a right to access alcohol, tobacco, drugs, firearms, automobiles, pornography, obscenity or any other dangerous material and public libraries have no obligation to provide it to them.—
Opinion Staff,
Oc Register,
27 May 2025
Noun
-
In a post on the X account of Pirate Radio, 92.7 Greenville The Voice of The Pirate Nation, O’Sullivan is shown on video using more than a dozen expletives in the span of 47 seconds.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 June 2025
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Video of the performance shows Morello appearing in front of a backdrop featuring a collage of expletives and images of Trump.—
Judy Kurtz,
The Hill,
27 May 2025
Noun
-
And, when the alarm wails hours before dawn, human cusses of angry protest join the chorus of budget appliances failing before their time.—
Virginia Konchan,
The New Yorker,
30 Sep. 2024
-
My grandmother extended a ladder up into this tough old cuss of a tree and climbed up, at some risk, to pick the bulging fruit.—
Jim Meddleton,
The Christian Science Monitor,
1 May 2024
Noun
-
As the Oxford English Dictionary notes, the expression not hardly is considered a vulgarism.—
NR Editors,
National Review,
16 Apr. 2020
-
The British cringed over new American accents, coinages and vulgarisms.—
Time,
Time,
11 June 2019
Cite this Entry
“Profanity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profanity. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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