Vulgarity
noun /vʌlˈɡær.ɪ.ti/ — Crudeness or indecency in language or behavior.
Definition
The quality of being crude, coarse, or lacking refinement — particularly in language. Vulgarity is culturally relative and class-marked: what is vulgar in one social register is ordinary in another.
Beyond the definition
Vulgarity is where class anxiety lives most openly in language — the fear of being seen as common, or the deliberate use of common speech as a form of solidarity or rebellion.
Origin & history
From Latin 'vulgaris' (of the common people, ordinary); from 'vulgus' (the common people). The original sense was simply 'of the people'; it became pejorative as class distinctions were built into language.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Aristocratic anxiety about vulgarity is really anxiety about contamination — the fear that exposure to common speech will compromise refinement.
Some artists court vulgarity deliberately — using the coarse and the crude as a critique of refinement's pretensions.
The comedian's vulgarity was so precisely calibrated it became its own kind of art: the exact word that was too much, deployed to illuminate why too much was funny.
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 “Vulgarity” when the meaning fits your context: The quality of being crude, coarse, or lacking refinement — particularly in language. Vulgarity is culturally relative and class-marked: what is vulgar in one social register is ordinary in another.
Synonyms
crudeness, coarseness, indecency, impropriety
Antonyms
refinement, elegance, delicacy
Related words
Vulgarity vs coarseness
Vulgarity is overt indecency or crudeness in language and behavior. Coarseness is a broader trait describing a lack of refinement or sophisticated manners, which may or may not include vulgarity.
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
Unpretentious Informal Speech
Friends chat naturally in a busy local café, speaking with hands and relaxed expressions.
This scene captures everyday, unrefined social interaction. It emphasizes that what might be seen as coarse in a formal register is simply the ordinary, direct language of a community, reflecting the relative nature of vulgarity.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Vulgarity" mean?
Vulgarity is noun meaning: Crudeness or indecency in language or behavior.. The quality of being crude, coarse, or lacking refinement — particularly in language. Vulgarity is culturally relative and class-marked: what is vulgar in one social register is ordinary in another.
Where does the word "Vulgarity" come from?
From Latin 'vulgaris' (of the common people, ordinary); from 'vulgus' (the common people). The original sense was simply 'of the people'; it became pejorative as class distinctions were built into language.