VULGAR Synonyms: 315 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'vulgar' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of vulgar are coarse , gross , obscene , and ribald . While all these words mean "offensive to good taste or morals," vulgar often implies boorishness or ill-breeding. // a loud vulgar belch

Q: When is it sensible to use 'coarse' instead of 'vulgar'?

While the synonyms coarse and vulgar are close in meaning, coarse implies roughness, rudeness, or crudeness of spirit, behavior, or language. // found the coarse humor of coworkers offensive

Q: When might 'gross' be a better fit than 'vulgar'?

The synonyms gross and vulgar are sometimes interchangeable, but gross implies extreme coarseness and insensitiveness. // gross eating habits

Q: In what contexts can 'obscene' take the place of 'vulgar'?

While in some cases nearly identical to vulgar , obscene applies to anything strongly repulsive to the sense of decency and propriety especially in sexual matters. // obscene language not allowed on the air

Q: Where would 'ribald' be a reasonable alternative to 'vulgar'?

In some situations, the words ribald and vulgar are roughly equivalent. However, ribald applies to what is amusingly or picturesquely vulgar or irreverent or mildly indecent. // entertained the campers with ribald folk songs

vulgar

adjective

ˈvəl-gər

Definition of vulgar

as in low

belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank paintings that appeal to vulgar tastes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in obscene

depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society a warning about the movie's vulgar language

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in general

held by or applicable to a majority of the people the vulgar opinion is that the nation is in decline

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in crass

lacking in refinement or good taste vulgar behavior shown by someone who's made a lot of money and wants everyone to know it

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in colloquial

used in or suitable for speech and not formal writing Latin was once the language of scholars, and English the vulgar language used by the common people

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word vulgar different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of vulgar are coarse, gross, obscene, and ribald. While all these words mean "offensive to good taste or morals," vulgar often implies boorishness or ill-breeding.

a loud vulgar belch

When is it sensible to use coarse instead of vulgar?

While the synonyms coarse and vulgar are close in meaning, coarse implies roughness, rudeness, or crudeness of spirit, behavior, or language.

found the coarse humor of coworkers offensive

When might gross be a better fit than vulgar?

The synonyms gross and vulgar are sometimes interchangeable, but gross implies extreme coarseness and insensitiveness.

gross eating habits

In what contexts can obscene take the place of vulgar?

While in some cases nearly identical to vulgar, obscene applies to anything strongly repulsive to the sense of decency and propriety especially in sexual matters.

obscene language not allowed on the air

Where would ribald be a reasonable alternative to vulgar?

In some situations, the words ribald and vulgar are roughly equivalent. However, ribald applies to what is amusingly or picturesquely vulgar or irreverent or mildly indecent.

entertained the campers with ribald folk songs

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of vulgar The woman's attorneys argued that the decision wrongly gives school officials wide latitude to squelch political speech based on their personal ideas of what is vulgar. — ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026 There were fraternity brothers exchanging vulgar messages about the accuseron Snapchat, echoing what Willis says happened after she herself was assaulted in 2014. — Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2026 Simmons’ big day will be remembered for his vulgar celebration after one sack. — Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026 But Trump’s obsession with these vulgar memorials to his own vanity is a reminder of the darkness around him, of his hostility to democracy, his loathing of honor, and his disordered mind. — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vulgar

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vulgar

Adjective

Landrew came off the bench for the first time this preseason and used his physicality to get to the basket for a pair of layups in the first half while Oskar Giltay battled with 7-foot-4 Daniel Jacobsen down low.

— Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 28 Oct. 2026
The distance is worth it for travelers who want a budget-friendly hotel that still has loads of style, as prices tend to be significantly lower than downtown hotels.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of low

Adjective

In Russia, soldiers die at the front by the hundreds of thousands while politically compliant billionaires accumulate obscene fortunes.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
At the next timeout, an announcement was made asking fans to refrain from obscene chants.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of obscene

Adjective

His dip in the polling this month seems less attributable to any new policy position or statements than to just a general gloom among California residents about the state’s direction, Baldassare said.

— Andrew Graham October 27, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
That’s the case in Baltimore County as well — the administrative officer is paid a flat annual salary and does not receive general increases or cost-of-living adjustments.

— Natalie Jones, Baltimore Sun, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of general

Adjective

But the fashionable-at-the-time nakedness of the YBAs’ desire for money, most completely embodied by Hirst, quickly became crass.

— Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Murdoch is thick-skinned and accustomed to being underestimated by the condescending Brits, who see him as a crass interloper.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of crass

Adjective

That’s the colloquial name for the Salkin House, an 1,100-square-foot dwelling perched on a hillside lot, built for violist Jules Salkin in 1948 by John Lautner, the famed midcentury modern architect.

— Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 13 Oct. 2026
The theme uses a colloquial phrase almost like a mathematical function.

— Sam Corbin, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of colloquial

Adjective

The prizes’ name is a reference to Ignatius (Ig) Nobel—a fictional character said to be a distant cousin of Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel, for whom the Nobel Prizes are named—and is also a pun on the word ignoble.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Aug. 2026
This is an ignoble war making monsters and fools out of its participants, and against the uncontrollable weapons that are dragons, everyone’s resolve is crumbling.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 18 June 2026

Definition of ignoble

Adjective

On the day of the $50 million demand, a WeChat chat on one of her phones shows pornographic images arriving and being sent back with Victim-1’s face grafted on, the complaint says.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
The filing follows a separate legal battle launched by Meloni in 2024 against a man accused of creating and posting deepfake pornographic images using her likeness.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of pornographic

Adjective

The group noted the projection was revised upward from an earlier estimate owing to an additional year in the budget window and higher prevailing interest rates.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
Likewise, prevailing concepts of Hamlet at the time cast the prince as a wan and melancholic, leading critics to bristle at Bernhardt’s energy.

— Betsy Golden Kellem, JSTOR Daily, 18 Mar. 2026

Definition of prevailing

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Style

“Vulgar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vulgar. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of vulgar

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