Bawdy
adjective /ˈbɔː.di/ — Humorously indecent; dealing with sex in a coarse but funny way
Definition
Dealing with sexual matters in a comical or irreverent way — indecent but humorous, coarse but cheerful. Bawdy is the register of the pub, the Chaucer, the Shakespeare who loved a double entendre. It is sex laughed at rather than hidden.
Beyond the definition
Bawdy is the word for the sexuality that doesn't take itself seriously — the innuendo, the wink, the pun that everyone gets. It names a register of human comedy that is as old as literature and as alive as the audience's laughter.
Origin & history
Old French: baud (bold, lively, merry). The etymology is about energy and boldness rather than obscenity — bawdy humour is vigorous, alive, unafraid of the body. Shakespeare was spectacularly bawdy.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The medieval mystery plays were surprisingly bawdy — religious themes and dirty jokes coexisted comfortably.
Shakespeare's bawdy is legendary: he wrote over a thousand puns on genitalia.
Bawdy is sex that isn't ashamed of itself.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Bawdy” when the meaning fits your context: Dealing with sexual matters in a comical or irreverent way — indecent but humorous, coarse but cheerful. Bawdy is the register of the pub, the Chaucer, the Shakespeare who loved a double entendre. It is sex laughed at rather than hidden.
Synonyms
ribald, raunchy, risqué, coarse
Antonyms
prudish, decorous, clean
Related words
Bawdy vs lewd
Bawdy is often used for coarse, lighthearted, or comedic indecency. Lewd carries a much darker, more offensive, and predatory connotation.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Sensory Pleasure in Cooking
An adult in a kitchen holds bread dipped in a rich, simmering sauce.
The deep satisfaction of the cook reflects the cheerful, coarse pleasure of bawdy humor. It is the joy of the senses—the sauce and the bread—celebrated openly, much like bawdy writing celebrates sexual matters with laughter rather than hiding them.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Bawdy" mean?
Bawdy is adjective meaning: Humorously indecent; dealing with sex in a coarse but funny way. Dealing with sexual matters in a comical or irreverent way — indecent but humorous, coarse but cheerful. Bawdy is the register of the pub, the Chaucer, the Shakespeare who loved a double entendre. It is sex laughed at rather than hidden.
Where does the word "Bawdy" come from?
Old French: baud (bold, lively, merry). The etymology is about energy and boldness rather than obscenity — bawdy humour is vigorous, alive, unafraid of the body. Shakespeare was spectacularly bawdy.