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obscene

[ uhb-seen ]
/ əbĖˆsin /
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See synonyms for: obscene / obscenely on Thesaurus.com

adjective
offensive to morality or decency; indecent; depraved: obscene language.
causing uncontrolled sexual desire.
abominable; disgusting; repulsive.
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Origin of obscene

First recorded in 1585ā€“95, obscene is from the Latin word obscēnus, obscaenus

OTHER WORDS FROM obscene

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH obscene

lewd, obscene , pornography, profanatory, profane
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use obscene in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for obscene

obscene
/ (əbĖˆsiĖn) /

adjective
offensive or outrageous to accepted standards of decency or modesty
law (of publications) having a tendency to deprave or corrupt
disgusting; repellentan obscene massacre

Derived forms of obscene

obscenely, adverb

Word Origin for obscene

C16: from Latin obscēnus inauspicious, perhaps related to caenum filth
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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