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
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (referred to as EDI by the ALA) titles are also targeted, along with books depicting suicide, drugs, satanism, witchcraft, and profanity.
—
Spin Team,
SPIN,
22 June 2026
The volume was very loud, and all that could be heard was one profanity after another.
—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
And profanities featured in roughly 10% of all clauses, used at a rate substantially higher than the same speakers would use while awake.
—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Democrats use profanity to go viral.
—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for profanity
Spin Team,
SPIN,
22 June 2026
The volume was very loud, and all that could be heard was one profanity after another.
—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
And profanities featured in roughly 10% of all clauses, used at a rate substantially higher than the same speakers would use while awake.
—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Democrats use profanity to go viral.
—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for profanity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profanity
Noun
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Morgan and her Judgment Day cronies tried to bribe Danhausen to put curses on their opponents.
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The dust-ups might have driven the Honeywells away from their island paradise, more casualties of the lottery curse.
Noun
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The once-vaunted values of public life are now reduced to the lower standards of private life—venality, vulgarity, rudeness, incontinence, and ignorance.
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Benoit delights in language as much as her heroine, weaving Regency-era slang throughout and appending a chapter-by-chapter glossary of vulgarities.
Noun
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Eight groups challenged the department’s definition in court, representing nurse practitioners, therapists, speech language pathologists and more.
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Keep language simple, confirm times, and leave extra room between commitments.
Noun
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All your Dad has to do is fill it and drink—the microfilter membrane will do the rest by removing chlorine odors, dirt, bacteria, and any other grossness floating around in there.
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There are no great surprises from here on out, though the sheer, lusty grossness of the fallout is occasionally startling.
Noun
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Why fill with swears a show that might otherwise have been appointment viewing for the whole family?
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The event finds more than 20,000 people participating in an annual bar crawl throughout the city while dressed in their best holiday attire, tackiest Santa Claus costumes, and ugliest Christmas swears.
Noun
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Right next to her crowd of women's sports advocates was a mosh of pro-transgender activists wearing costumes and shouting obscenities.
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An original call for service indicated that suspects pulled up to a CBS media vehicle and began shouting racial obscenities at a CBS cameraman who is Black, a law enforcement source said.
Noun
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Bat met ball and, under his breath, Astros manager Joe Espada muttered an expletive.
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Applying frosting is one of the few things that cannot be said to be a subset of Haaland’s métier; after tossing his balky piping bag aside in frustration, the Norseman issued an expletive that was deemed bleep-worthy by Fox’s Standards & Practices crew.
Noun
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There’s some rudeness, aggressive conversations, and crudeness, but nothing too over the top.
Cite this Entry
“Profanity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profanity. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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