obscenity

[uh b-sen-i-tee, -see-ni-] /əbˈsɛn ɪ ti, -ˈsi nɪ-/
noun, plural obscenities for 2, 3.
1.
the character or quality of being obscene; indecency; lewdness.
2.
something obscene, as a picture or story.
3.
an obscene word or expression, especially when used as an invective.
Origin
1600-10; < French obscenité < Latin obscēnitās, equivalent to obscēn(us) obscene + -itās -ity
Related forms
antiobscenity, noun, plural antiobscenities, adjective
Examples from the web for obscenities
  • In reform school, he got into fights and screamed obscenities at the staff.
  • When fans booed her for a bad play, she yelled obscenities at them.
  • He would rage online, typing the cruelest obscenities to people imaginable.
  • He finally saves himself from all these obscenities by plunging into a pool.
  • He screamed obscenities at the television, threw his loafers at the screen, and stormed out of the room several times.
  • She called police and started putting her groceries away when the boys came back, shouting obscenities and lobbing bricks.
  • Vulgarities and obscenities are not allowed for instance.
  • Footage of his lap had to be bleeped considerably because he hurled obscenities throughout his drive.
  • Emails, letters, or phone calls which contain obscenities or defamatory comments may not receive a response.
  • The claimant's use of obscenities was due to his being emotionally upset.
British Dictionary definitions for obscenities

obscenity

/əbˈsɛnɪtɪ/
noun (pl) -ties
1.
the state or quality of being obscene
2.
an obscene act, statement, word, etc
Word Origin and History for obscenities

obscenity

n.

1580s, "obscene quality," from French obscénité, from Latin obscenitatem (nominative obscenitas) "inauspiciousness, filthiness," from obscenus "offensive" (see obscene). Meaning "a foul or loathsome act" is 1610s. Sense of "an obscene utterance or word" is attested by 1690. Related: Obscenities.

obscenities in Culture

obscenity definition


Behavior, appearance, or expression (such as films and books) that violate accepted standards of sexual morality. American courts have long tried to define obscenity but without much success. Some believe, for example, that any depiction of nudity is obscene; others would argue that nudity in itself is not obscene. (See four-letter words and pornography.)