obscene

[uhb-seen]

adjective

1. offensive to morality or decency; indecent; depraved.

   obscene language.

2. causing uncontrolled sexual desire.

3. abominable; disgusting; repulsive.

obscene

/ əbˈsiːn /

adjective

1. offensive or outrageous to accepted standards of decency or modesty

2. law (of publications) having a tendency to deprave or corrupt

3. disgusting; repellent

   an obscene massacre

Other Word Forms

• obscenely adverb
• obsceneness noun
• unobscene adjective
• unobscenely adverb
• unobsceneness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of obscene¹

First recorded in 1585–95, obscene is from the Latin word obscēnus, obscaenus

Word History and Origins

Origin of obscene¹

C16: from Latin obscēnus inauspicious, perhaps related to caenum filth

Example Sentences

First seen cycling his city’s streets day and night with a becalmed sense of ownership, Holland’s Roger is a die-hard Brooklynite none too happy with the smoothing over of his cherished neighborhoods by “obscene” money.

From Los Angeles Times

The composition’s frantic strings and minor chords cleverly emphasize the brilliance of Oliphant’s cartoons depicting the circus of the politically obscene.

From Salon

An Italian website that posted doctored images of well-known women, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with obscene commentary, has announced its closure after a backlash from other female politicians.

From BBC

Images that appear on the platform are often taken from known child abuse images but can be cropped so they are not obscene.

From BBC

The lines are “third-world dictator stuff,” Orange County GOP chair Will O’Neill said on X, and the “slicing and dicing of Orange County cities is obscene.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bawdy 
• coarse 
• crude 
• disgusting 
• horrible 
• improper 
• lewd 
• nasty 
• outrageous 
• pornographic 
• profane 
• repugnant 
• salacious 
• scatological 
• shocking 
• suggestive