1
as in low
belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank
paintings that appeal to vulgar tastes
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
a warning about the movie's vulgar language
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in general
held by or applicable to a majority of the people
the vulgar opinion is that the nation is in decline
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4
as in crass
lacking in refinement or good taste
vulgar behavior shown by someone who's made a lot of money and wants everyone to know it
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5
as in colloquial
used in or suitable for speech and not formal writing
Latin was once the language of scholars, and English the vulgar language used by the common people
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vulgar
In 2017, following an overwhelming number of complaints from visitors and storekeepers about vulgar language and intimidation tactics, the city had to once again enforce an ordinance to keep the hawkers in separate areas.
—
Richard Grant, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025
The prince’s daughter Concetta is initially enamored of Tancredi, but his eye is caught by the beautiful Angelica, daughter of vulgar nouveau riche neighbor Don Calogero.
—Anthony Paletta, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
The intrigue: A couple was having quite a loud, vulgar kickup about drug prescriptions in the booth near me before they were silenced by a mall cop on a Segway.
—Mike Deehan, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
Over time, authorities also sidelined activities like sumo wrestling—considered vulgar by Westerners—in favor of baseball, boating, mountain climbing, and other activities popular in the West.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vulgar
Richard Grant, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025
The prince’s daughter Concetta is initially enamored of Tancredi, but his eye is caught by the beautiful Angelica, daughter of vulgar nouveau riche neighbor Don Calogero.
—Anthony Paletta, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
The intrigue: A couple was having quite a loud, vulgar kickup about drug prescriptions in the booth near me before they were silenced by a mall cop on a Segway.
—Mike Deehan, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
Over time, authorities also sidelined activities like sumo wrestling—considered vulgar by Westerners—in favor of baseball, boating, mountain climbing, and other activities popular in the West.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vulgar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vulgar
Adjective
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The survey's measure of consumer sentiment dropped to a level lower than at any point during the Great Recession.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2025
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Trust Is Built In Small Moments Like This For a co-op like Cabot Creamery, maintaining consumer trust means being transparent—even when the stakes are low.—
Stephanie Gravalese,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Deputies found and arrested Betancourt, who was sentenced March 21 to six years and eight months in state prison for felony child abuse causing injury, felony domestic violence, witness intimidation, and possession of obscene matter depicting persons under age 18 engaged in lewd conduct.—
Bay City News Service,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2025
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Lovable, charming and generous, yet temperamental, arrogant and obscene.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Nuggets made a stunning move Tuesday, firing Malone and general manager Calvin Booth just 11 days before the start of the NBA playoffs.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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The Denver Nuggets have released a statement on the firing of head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Those other countries don’t seem to have the same proportion of crass blowhards in their political structure as the U.S.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2025
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Slipshod, crass, and sick, these jokes, dialling in from abroad and at home, were distinct from the humor that had followed other U.S. catastrophes.—
Lauren Michele Jackson,
The New Yorker,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Because back nine is close to backside, and backside is just far too colloquial.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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Russ Scholl, a ski instructor at Breckenridge Ski Resort, has published a 133-square grid of funky colloquial phrases for different types of snow.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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There’s an ignoble tradition of falsified memoirs.—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Mar. 2025
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Until then, there are the Razzies, an ignoble accolade marking the very worst movies and acting performances of the year.—
Marco della Cava,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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My question: Was there any way to have prevented this rude woman from stealing away all of my guests? GENTLE READER: Counter-questions: Did the boss and his wife drop the guests off before the emergency furniture move?—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2025
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Since then, the stepmother has proved to be mean and rude on multiple occasions, the bride wrote.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In addition to the musical reconstruction, McBurney has been making a contemporary English version of the libretto, with the translator Hannah Whitley, that preserves the original’s vernacular.—
Jeffrey Arlo Brown,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
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This therapist speaks in a very specific kind of vernacular.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vulgar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vulgar. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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