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Definition of grossnext
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gross

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noun

gross

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word gross different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of gross are coarse, obscene, ribald, and vulgar. While all these words mean "offensive to good taste or morals," gross implies extreme coarseness and insensitiveness.

gross eating habits

When can coarse be used instead of gross?

The synonyms coarse and gross are sometimes interchangeable, but coarse implies roughness, rudeness, or crudeness of spirit, behavior, or language.

found the coarse humor of coworkers offensive

Where would obscene be a reasonable alternative to gross?

Although the words obscene and gross have much in common, obscene applies to anything strongly repulsive to the sense of decency and propriety especially in sexual matters.

obscene language not allowed on the air

When could ribald be used to replace gross?

The meanings of ribald and gross largely overlap; however, ribald applies to what is amusingly or picturesquely vulgar or irreverent or mildly indecent.

entertained the campers with ribald folk songs

When is it sensible to use vulgar instead of gross?

While in some cases nearly identical to gross, vulgar often implies boorishness or ill-breeding.

a loud vulgar belch

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gross
Adjective
Lawless stars alongside Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette in this summer’s horror sensation Obsession from Curry Barker, which has broken out as the top grosser in the history of Focus Features with over $234M worldwide to date. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 June 2026 Anthropic already lowered its gross margin projection to 40% because of inference costs on Google and Amazon servers. Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Noun
That single-screen gross was good enough to lead all specialized films on IndieWire’s exclusive chart, via data from Comscore, in terms of per-screen-average. Brian Welk, IndieWire, 3 June 2026 The production hit its highest gross of $2 million Thanksgiving week, but in recent weeks has been bringing in under $900,000 with capacity around 70 percent. Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 2026
Verb
The dinners sold out in minutes and will gross roughly $4 million, according to a separate report. Shindy Chen, Charlotte Observer, 13 Mar. 2026 The descriptions of dead bodies on the true crime podcasts gross me out, but to see it in person is something else entirely. Danielle Parker, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gross
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gross
Adjective
  • It was seized by the post office (as Rosset had expected) and duly declared obscene by the postmaster of the city of New York, a man named Robert Christenberry.
    Louis Menand, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
  • Who says a man can’t appreciate the gleaming, obscene form of an Aston Martin supercar or the growl of its overpriced engine?
    Alex James Kane, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Adjective
  • The abalone is plump and toothsome, yet still tender and accompanied by asparagus kissed by the fire.
    Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 16 June 2026
  • Post use, skin looks and feels more plump and less inflamed, with redness virtually gone and fine lines softened.
    Eva Thomas, InStyle, 14 June 2026
Adjective
  • The service There’s nothing as crass as a check-in desk here.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
  • In fact, the very term anti-Semitism was popularized by Wilhelm Marr, a German nationalist who sought to distinguish his anti-Jewish ideology from the crass bigotry of the common folk by dressing his hate up in pseudoscientific terms.
    Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
Adjective
  • The Israeli military said earlier that Hezbollah had launched three projectiles towards communities in northern Israel, calling it a blatant ceasefire violation.
    NBC News, NBC news, 14 June 2026
  • Nonetheless, the painting doesn’t have any blatant Nazi references.
    Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 11 June 2026
Adjective
  • One of the guests makes a disgusting joke involving the boat and lubricant.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2025
  • Danny DeVito, who plays the hilarious and disgusting Frank Reynolds on Always Sunny, used to be married to a fellow comedy legend, Rhea Perlman.
    Allison DeGrushe Published, EW.com, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • Clark also played in her 13th game of the season, matching her total from last year during an injury-riddled campaign.
    James Boyd, New York Times, 17 June 2026
  • He is now tied with German Gerd Muller for third for most World Cup goals of all time after scoring twice against Senegal, bringing Mbappe's total to 14.
    NBC News, NBC news, 17 June 2026
Noun
  • Yet sluggishness at the very top is masking dynamism throughout the rest of the list, as a new generation of firms—whether Vietnamese conglomerates, Singaporean banks, or once-loss-making digital platforms—is capturing a greater share of regional revenue and profits.
    Andrew Staples, Fortune, 16 June 2026
  • Newsom doesn’t collect any real revenue from his podcast, but did report collecting more than $100,000 in publication fee and royalties last year for books he’s written.
    Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 16 June 2026
Verb
  • Musa has built a community of followers through her posts on the realities of modern life, netting her close to two million followers across social media platforms.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 June 2026
  • That deal nets the league roughly $7 billion annually and represents the most expensive domestic sports rights package in basketball history.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Gross.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gross. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.

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