Obscenity
noun /əbˈsiː.nɪ.ti/ — Language or material that is offensive or shocking by social standards.
Definition
Material or language that violates accepted standards of decency — typically involving sexual content or deeply offensive speech. Obscenity is legally defined in many jurisdictions but resists stable definition: as a US Supreme Court justice famously said, 'I know it when I see it'.
Beyond the definition
Obscenity is the speech act that most directly confronts taboo — and in doing so, reveals what a society has decided must not be said plainly. What is obscene tells you what a culture wishes to be invisible.
Origin & history
From Latin 'obscenitas' (indecency); from 'obscenus' (ill-omened, disgusting, obscene). Something that confronts filth or ill-omen.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Miller v. California (1973) established the US legal standard for obscenity — but the definition remains contested.
What was obscene to one generation becomes unremarkable to the next — the taboo migrates but rarely disappears.
She argued that poverty, not language, was the true obscenity — a rhetorical move that obscenity cases rarely entertain.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Obscenity” when the meaning fits your context: Material or language that violates accepted standards of decency — typically involving sexual content or deeply offensive speech. Obscenity is legally defined in many jurisdictions but resists stable definition: as a US Supreme Court justice famously said, 'I know it when I see it'.
Synonyms
Antonyms
decency, propriety, modesty
Related words
Obscenity vs vulgarity
Obscenity typically carries a legal or moral weight regarding offensive sexual or prohibited content. Vulgarity refers more generally to coarse or unrefined speech.
Compare this word
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
Stark Verbal Hostility
One person leans back and gestures for a pause while the other argues with sharp, angry intensity.
The visible tension and the reaction of the second person show that some forms of expression violate social standards. The visual discomfort and the rejection of the behavior underscore how obscenity is recognized by its impact.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Obscenity" mean?
Obscenity is noun meaning: Language or material that is offensive or shocking by social standards.. Material or language that violates accepted standards of decency — typically involving sexual content or deeply offensive speech. Obscenity is legally defined in many jurisdictions but resists stable definition: as a US Supreme Court justice famously said, 'I know it when I see it'.
Where does the word "Obscenity" come from?
From Latin 'obscenitas' (indecency); from 'obscenus' (ill-omened, disgusting, obscene). Something that confronts filth or ill-omen.