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 company was formed after its predecessor, VidAngel, reorganized in bankruptcy following a $62 million judgment against it for distributing unlicensed content that censored graphic violence, nudity and profanity in films and TV shows.
—
Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2025
Some of the building’s windows had been smashed and profanities scrawled on the walls.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
Being attentive to nuances in how curse words are used in different settings can guide you toward a more productive relationship with profanity.
—Stacey Colino, Time, 1 Apr. 2025
But putting the two performances against each other keeps drawing our attention to the phoniness of De Niro’s turn as Genovese, to its prefab energy and programmed profanity.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for profanity
Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2025
Some of the building’s windows had been smashed and profanities scrawled on the walls.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
Being attentive to nuances in how curse words are used in different settings can guide you toward a more productive relationship with profanity.
—Stacey Colino, Time, 1 Apr. 2025
But putting the two performances against each other keeps drawing our attention to the phoniness of De Niro’s turn as Genovese, to its prefab energy and programmed profanity.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for profanity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profanity
Noun
-
The annual cost-of-living adjustment Social Security recipients receive is both a blessing and a curse.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Homewood’s location on the western shore of Lake Tahoe is both a blessing and a curse.—
Megan Michelson,
Outside Online,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Lashing out from the White House, Mr. Trump used a vulgarity to accuse Mr. Xi and Mr. Lam of plotting to exploit the United States.—
Ann Scott Tyson,
Christian Science Monitor,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Those incidents range from keying swastikas to spray-painting other vulgarities.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Apart from any constitutional questions, there is also the problem that confessional language issued by the secretary of state in his official capacity distorts the message of Easter.—
Chloe Breyer,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Pope Francis preached the same gospel in different language.—
John Hope Bryant,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Is this the kind of situation where mild swears seem generally used?—
Stacey Colino,
Time,
1 Apr. 2025
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Could a nice good swear on the pitch to express one’s anger stop a player from lashing out physically, channelling their anger through their vocal cords rather than their fists?—
Nick Miller,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The early setback led to Sabalenka receiving a swift code violation as she was reprimanded for an audible obscenity.—
Staff and news service reports,
Orange County Register,
13 Mar. 2025
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In one of the incidents, someone spray painted an obscenity believed to be directed at Musk before being chased away by a security guard, according to a Loveland police affidavit.—
Colleen Slevin,
The Denver Post,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Mischer lost his temper and let out a string of expletives — which went out live on CNN.—
Paul Grein,
Billboard,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Upon hearing the truth, Kevin drags his son out of the container, gives him an earful of expletives, and zaps him with a taser baton.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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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 25 Apr. 2025.
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