1
as in pornographic
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
obscene gestures are totally inappropriate in the workplace
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disgusting
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
that ugly new store is really an obscene bit of architecture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obscene
The investigation began when detectives with the Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit served a search warrant in Bakersfield based on a tip about a person who was in possession and used obscene material involving an underage girl, authorities announced in a news release on Tuesday.
—
Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2025
With his plea, a federal indictment relating to transfer of obscene material to a minor would not be pursued.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 5 May 2025
This social justice kitsch becomes a mildly obscene evocation of racial terrorism.
—Armond White, National Review, 18 Apr. 2025
Fifteen years after her husband’s drowning in the nearby bay, Tressilian’s days are spent in a cranky routine: grumbling over the obscene resort stationed on the opposite bluff, reading London’s gossip columns, and summoning the household help with the insistent ringing of a bedroom call bell.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscene
Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2025
With his plea, a federal indictment relating to transfer of obscene material to a minor would not be pursued.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 5 May 2025
This social justice kitsch becomes a mildly obscene evocation of racial terrorism.
—Armond White, National Review, 18 Apr. 2025
Fifteen years after her husband’s drowning in the nearby bay, Tressilian’s days are spent in a cranky routine: grumbling over the obscene resort stationed on the opposite bluff, reading London’s gossip columns, and summoning the household help with the insistent ringing of a bedroom call bell.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscene
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscene
Adjective
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But unfortunately, that also means Big Mouth, the cartoon about all the disgusting, messy parts of growing up from Nick Kroll, must also conclude as well.—
Lucy Ford,
Time,
19 May 2025
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Victorian Ladies at Lunch In a beautiful regency-era setting, four women eat disgusting foods.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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In that sense, the vulgar Vader situation creates a touchy dilemma for Epic Games and Disney, which likely invested substantially in this high-profile collaboration.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
16 May 2025
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Amid the attention, the new pontiff's eldest brother has drawn scrutiny for social media posts praising Trump and using inflammatory, vulgar rhetoric toward Democrats and transgender people.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Compare the first half of Season 15 to Jodie Whittaker’s last outing as the Doctor, and things get uglier.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
23 May 2025
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The birds' droppings end up on the ground and windows below, creating an ugly scene for staff, branch patrons and passersby walking in the River Market District.—
Joseph Flaherty,
Arkansas Online,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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When the ball dinged off the right-field foul pole, a euphoric Crow-Armstrong tossed his bat toward the Cubs dugout and pounded his chest before rounding the bases to celebrate the grand slam and second home run of the game.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2025
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That didn’t leave enough time to evaluate if Rooker’s double bounced off the wall or the foul pole.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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The downsides are that DEET smells awful, is oily, and can damage anything with plastic in it, like synthetic clothing and camping gear.—
Kristin Canning,
Wired News,
21 May 2025
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The name itself isn’t awful, but actions have consequences.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was brilliant (35 points), and the Thunder defense was nasty.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
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But Laxe’s cadence of death is nasty and arbitrary and delightful.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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But the defense is hoping to cast her recollections merely as sickening details in a deranged love story between two consenting and jealous adults.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
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For years, raw sewage from Mexico has poured across the border into Southern California, fouling beaches, sickening residents and sparking diplomatic as well as environmental concerns.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 May 2025
Adjective
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After being fired from SNL, Silverman scored a part playing a misunderstood filthy comedy writer on The Larry Sanders Show, Shandling’s classic send-up of the talk-show game.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
18 May 2025
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Who doesn’t rinse out (and ideally wash) a filthy blender filled with milky stuff?—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obscene.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscene. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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