Antonyms for obscenity


Grammar : Noun
Spell : uh b-sen-i-tee, -see-ni-
Phonetic Transcription : əbˈsɛn ɪ ti, -ˈsi nɪ-


Definition of obscenity

Origin :
  • 1580s, "obscene quality," from French obscénité, from Latin obscenitatem (nominative obscenitas) "inauspiciousness, filthiness," from obscenus "offensive" (see obscene). Meaning "a foul or loathsome act" is 1610s. Sense of "an obscene utterance or word" is attested by 1690. Related: Obscenities.
  • noun indecency, immorality; vulgarism
Example sentences :
  • The second power of vulgarity is obscenity, and this vice is like the pestilence.
  • Extract from : « The Call of the Twentieth Century » by David Starr Jordan
  • This is not a criticism of the phallus on grounds of obscenity, but on grounds of buffoonery.
  • Extract from : « Folkways » by William Graham Sumner
  • This last degenerated into obscenity, indecency, and disorder.
  • Extract from : « Folkways » by William Graham Sumner
  • Obscenity arose from everything before her eyes and approached her.
  • Extract from : « Germinie Lacerteux » by Edmond and Jules de Goncourt
  • It is evident that mere nudity in painting and sculpture is not obscenity.
  • Extract from : « Buchanan's Journal of Man, January 1888 » by Various
  • It is certainly true, that every sort of ribaldry and obscenity are encouraged on the Chinese stage at the present day.
  • Extract from : « Travels in China, Containing Descriptions, Observations, and Comparisons, Made and Collected in the Course of a Short Residence at the Imperial Palace of Yuen-Min-Yuen, and on a Subsequent Journey through the Country from Pekin to Canton » by John Barrow
  • Must he go back again to the galleys with their profanity and obscenity?
  • Extract from : « A Man's Value to Society » by Newell Dwight Hillis
  • We do not envy the unwholesomeness of a mind so watchful for obscenity.
  • Extract from : « Tracks of a Rolling Stone » by Henry J. Coke
  • The obscenity of "The Turn of the Screw" has given it undue prominence.
  • Extract from : « Instigations » by Ezra Pound
  • What was the most revolting piece of obscenity in all your career of crime?
  • Extract from : « Ulysses » by James Joyce

Synonyms for obscenity

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019