obscenity C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /əbˈsɛnɪti/ UK /əbˈsɛnɪti/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun the quality of being offensively indecent; an obscene word or act He shouted an obscenity when the door slammed shut on his fingers. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · the quality of being... indecencylewdnessvulgarityprofanityfilthsmut ↔ Opposites decencymodestyproprietypurity Word family Related forms obsceneobscenely Etymology AI details From Latin obscenitas ('impurity, indecency'), from obscenus ('offensive, repulsive'), of uncertain origin. obscenitas Latin obscenus Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # obscenity **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /əbˈsɛnɪti/ **IPA (UK):** /əbˈsɛnɪti/ ## Meanings 1. the quality of being offensively indecent; an obscene word or act ## Examples - He shouted an obscenity when the door slammed shut on his fingers. ## Synonyms - indecency - lewdness - vulgarity - profanity - filth - smut ## Antonyms - decency - modesty - propriety - purity ## Related Forms - obscene - obscenely ## Roots and Affixes - Root: obscenitas - Root: obscenus ## Etymology From Latin obscenitas ('impurity, indecency'), from obscenus ('offensive, repulsive'), of uncertain origin. ## AI Etymology Obscenity is from Latin obscenitas ('impurity, indecency'), from obscenus ('offensive, repulsive'), of uncertain origin. Important recorded forms include obscenitas (Latin) and obscenus (Latin). Its earlier history remains partly uncertain, so the etymological chain is best treated cautiously. In current use it covers the quality of being offensively indecent; an obscene word or act. The wider family includes related words such as obscene and obscenely. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown