1
as in rudeness
the quality or state of lacking refinement or good taste
our cousins' general vulgarity and poor manners irritate my mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grossness
the quality or state of being obscene
the pointless vulgarity of the joke disgusted her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vulgarity
Former President Richard Nixon proved himself no slouch in the vulgarity department after reaching the White House in 1969.
—
Bart Jansen, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026
One of Lamont’s unacknowledged strengths is his public composure and innate courtesy in an era when escalating vulgarity in politics shows an ugly American face to us and the world.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 7 Feb. 2026
Skarsgård takes aspects of the real Kiritsis — his irrational rage and vulgarity — but gives him an inner life and depth that the real Kiritsis didn’t seem to possess.
—Mick Lasalle, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Jan. 2026
With its insistent, obsessive patter, not to mention its unrelenting commitment to in-your-face vulgarity, Sherman’s comedy is hardly for everyone.
—Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vulgarity
Bart Jansen, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026
One of Lamont’s unacknowledged strengths is his public composure and innate courtesy in an era when escalating vulgarity in politics shows an ugly American face to us and the world.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 7 Feb. 2026
Skarsgård takes aspects of the real Kiritsis — his irrational rage and vulgarity — but gives him an inner life and depth that the real Kiritsis didn’t seem to possess.
—Mick Lasalle, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Jan. 2026
With its insistent, obsessive patter, not to mention its unrelenting commitment to in-your-face vulgarity, Sherman’s comedy is hardly for everyone.
—Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vulgarity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vulgarity
Noun
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What was His message in turning over the tables, besides showing His rudeness?—
John Kenney,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
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But if there truly is an epidemic of canine defecation in your area, then the solution is not to turn up the rudeness volume, but to appeal to a system or organization that addresses public health or the care of public spaces.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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There are no great surprises from here on out, though the sheer, lusty grossness of the fallout is occasionally startling.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
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If an exclamation point only signified gore and grossness, this gothic rock opera would more than qualify.—
Rachel Simon,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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There’s some rudeness, aggressive conversations, and crudeness, but nothing too over the top.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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That feeling stops, however, when pulling into gas stations or parking lots, where the length and lowness of the car require extreme care to keep the chin from scraping.—
Byron Hurd,
The Drive,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This reflects something specific to Balkan ritual cultures, where grief, obscenity, laughter, and magic coexist.—
George Nelson,
ARTnews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
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After being placed in a government vehicle, Ferreira Borges allegedly kicked, flailed, and screamed obscenities at officers, officials said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There were areas that felt intimate and communal, contrasted by the industrial bones of the space, exposed materials, scale, and a certain roughness that kept it from feeling too polished.—
Maddie Topliff,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Apr. 2026
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The roughness has to do with our times.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The other funnymen of the time—Milton Berle with his lewd suggestiveness, Jackie Gleason with his baleful roar—did the same shtick over and over.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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But many seemingly urbane texts also benefited from the intellectual and moral coarseness of their times.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
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The term plant texture refers to the fineness or coarseness, roughness or smoothness, heaviness or lightness of a particular plant.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vulgarity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vulgarity. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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