Vulgarity
noun
The use of indecent, offensive or obscene language or behavior.
His mother was shocked by the vulgarity of his speech.
noun
Something, especially a work of art, that is considered common, crude, or unrefined.
The painting was dismissed as vulgarity by the art critics.
Often appears as...
- an act of vulgarity
- display of vulgarity
Usage tips
Disapproving
noun
The use of indecent, offensive or obscene language or behavior.
His mother was shocked by the vulgarity of his speech.
noun
Something, especially a work of art, that is considered common, crude, or unrefined.
The painting was dismissed as vulgarity by the art critics.
Often appears as...
- an act of vulgarity
- display of vulgarity
Usage tips
Disapproving
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Cultural Sensitivity
Awareness of cultural differences is crucial; what's vulgar in one culture may be acceptable in another.
Certain hand gestures considered vulgar in some countries are commonplace in others.
Pro Tip 2/3Emotional Weight
Vulgar language can express strong emotions but may offend or shock, so use it cautiously.
He resorted to vulgarity in his anger, making others uncomfortable.
Pro Tip 3/3Informal Contexts
Vulgar terms are typically used in informal contexts among friends, not in professional or public settings.
At the party, his vulgarity made his friends laugh.
Pro Tip 1/3Cultural Sensitivity
Awareness of cultural differences is crucial; what's vulgar in one culture may be acceptable in another.
Certain hand gestures considered vulgar in some countries are commonplace in others.
Pro Tip 2/3Emotional Weight
Vulgar language can express strong emotions but may offend or shock, so use it cautiously.
He resorted to vulgarity in his anger, making others uncomfortable.
Pro Tip 3/3Informal Contexts
Vulgar terms are typically used in informal contexts among friends, not in professional or public settings.
At the party, his vulgarity made his friends laugh.
Pro Tip 1/3Cultural Sensitivity
Awareness of cultural differences is crucial; what's vulgar in one culture may be acceptable in another.
Certain hand gestures considered vulgar in some countries are commonplace in others.
Pro Tip 2/3Emotional Weight
Vulgar language can express strong emotions but may offend or shock, so use it cautiously.
He resorted to vulgarity in his anger, making others uncomfortable.
Pro Tip 3/3Informal Contexts
Vulgar terms are typically used in informal contexts among friends, not in professional or public settings.
At the party, his vulgarity made his friends laugh.
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Video examples
Bob Mankoff: Anatomy of...
He is both being polite and rude. In here, you have the propriety of The New Yorker and the vulgarity of the language. Basically, that's the way humor works. So I'm a humor analyst, you would say. Now E.B. White said, analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Nobody is much interested, and the frog dies.
Video examples
Bob Mankoff: Anatomy of...
He is both being polite and rude. In here, you have the propriety of The New Yorker and the vulgarity of the language. Basically, that's the way humor works. So I'm a humor analyst, you would say. Now E.B. White said, analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Nobody is much interested, and the frog dies.
Example 1 of 1
Quote examples
Shelby Steele
American Author
Conservatives have rightly attacked rap for its misogyny, violence and over-the-top vulgarity. But it is important to remember that this music is a fairly accurate message from a part of society where human connections are fractured and impossible, so fraught with disappointments and pain that only an assault on human feeling itself can assuage.
Quote examples
Charles W. Pickering
American Judge
America does not want vulgarity and sexual exploitation to be our values and we do not want the world to think those are our standards. We want to be a better nation and a better people, with better standards.
Quote examples
Ernest Renan
French Philosopher
Man is not on this earth merely to be happy, or even to be simply honest. He is there to realize great things for humanity, to attain nobility and to surmount the vulgarity of almost everybody.
Quote examples
John Ruskin
English Writer
There is never vulgarity in a whole truth, however commonplace. It may be unimportant or painful. It cannot be vulgar. Vulgarity is only in concealment of truth, or in affectation.
Quote examples
Eric Metaxas
American Author
I guess I'm concerned that vulgarity has now officially entered the mainstream of our culture, and I think people have to respectfully stand up and say, 'No thanks.
Quote examples
Oscar Wilde
Irish Poet
Death and vulgarity are the only two facts in the nineteenth century that one cannot explain away.
Quote examples
Coco Chanel
French Designer
Some people think luxury is the opposite of poverty. It is not. It is the opposite of vulgarity.
Quote examples
Cyril Connolly
English Journalist
Vulgarity is the garlic in the salad of life.
Quote examples
Arthur Schopenhauer
German Philosopher
Will minus intellect constitutes vulgarity.
Quote examples
Mary Quant
English Designer
Good taste is death; vulgarity is life.
Quote examples
Shelby Steele
American Author
Conservatives have rightly attacked rap for its misogyny, violence and over-the-top vulgarity. But it is important to remember that this music is a fairly accurate message from a part of society where human connections are fractured and impossible, so fraught with disappointments and pain that only an assault on human feeling itself can assuage.
Quote examples
Charles W. Pickering
American Judge
America does not want vulgarity and sexual exploitation to be our values and we do not want the world to think those are our standards. We want to be a better nation and a better people, with better standards.
Quote examples
Ernest Renan
French Philosopher
Man is not on this earth merely to be happy, or even to be simply honest. He is there to realize great things for humanity, to attain nobility and to surmount the vulgarity of almost everybody.
Quote examples
John Ruskin
English Writer
There is never vulgarity in a whole truth, however commonplace. It may be unimportant or painful. It cannot be vulgar. Vulgarity is only in concealment of truth, or in affectation.
Quote examples
Eric Metaxas
American Author
I guess I'm concerned that vulgarity has now officially entered the mainstream of our culture, and I think people have to respectfully stand up and say, 'No thanks.
Quote examples
Oscar Wilde
Irish Poet
Death and vulgarity are the only two facts in the nineteenth century that one cannot explain away.
Quote examples
Coco Chanel
French Designer
Some people think luxury is the opposite of poverty. It is not. It is the opposite of vulgarity.
Quote examples
Cyril Connolly
English Journalist
Vulgarity is the garlic in the salad of life.
Quote examples
Arthur Schopenhauer
German Philosopher
Will minus intellect constitutes vulgarity.
Quote examples
Mary Quant
English Designer
Good taste is death; vulgarity is life.
Example 1 of 10
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