obscene
Americanadjective
-
offensive to morality or decency; indecent; depraved.
obscene language.
-
causing uncontrolled sexual desire.
-
abominable; disgusting; repulsive.
adjective
-
offensive or outrageous to accepted standards of decency or modesty
-
law (of publications) having a tendency to deprave or corrupt
-
disgusting; repellent
an obscene massacre
Other Word Forms
- obscenely adverb
- obsceneness noun
- unobscene adjective
- unobscenely adverb
- unobsceneness noun
Etymology
Origin of obscene
First recorded in 1585–95, obscene is from the Latin word obscēnus, obscaenus
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She experiences motor twitches, such as jaw jerks, vocal tics and coprolalia - involuntarily using obscene or offensive language - which she says can be "embarrassing" when she's in public.
From BBC
But the Shah was a problematic figure, obscene in his displays of wealth and ruthless in his suppression of dissent.
And she doesn't mince her words about how long it's taken a female British painter to get a solo show in the Royal Academy's main galleries, calling it "obscene" and "historically quite extraordinary".
From BBC
One of Britain's biggest unions, Unite, has called the weapons maker's £2.6bn annual profit "obscene" and warned strikes would continue until a better pay offer is made.
From BBC
It seems obscene to say that I was happy amid so much suffering.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
