Meaning & use

obscenity

noun·Advanced

Language, images, or behavior considered offensively indecent, especially in a sexual sense.

See it in a sentence

The referee ejected the player for shouting an obscenity at the crowd.

The film was banned for its scenes of graphic violence and obscenity.

A note on using this word

Legally, obscenity refers to material that fails a specific community standard, distinct from merely coarse or crude language.

Words with a similar meaning

indecencyprofanity

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

decency

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “obscenity”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.