obscene
UK /əbˈsiːn/ · US /əbˈsin/ adjective, verb
Forms obscener obscenest obscenes obscening obscened obscæne
- adjective Offensive to standards of decency or morality.
- adjective Lewd or lustful.
- adjective Disgusting or repulsive.
- adjective (by extension) Beyond all reason; excessive.
- adjective (chiefly UK, criminal law) Liable to corrupt or deprave.
- verb (ambitransitive, rare) To act or speak in an obscene manner; to offend.
Synonyms
abandoned common easy fast lascivious lewd liberal libidinous licentious loose lustful lusty promiscuous riggish slack unchaste wanton wappened abhorrant abhorrent detestable repugnant repulsive raunchy salacious
Antonyms
decent moral nonobscene chaste pure measured mellow middle of the road mild moderate nonexcessive nonextreme
Etymology
From Middle French obscene (modern French obscène (“indecent, obscene”)), and from its etymon Latin obscēnus, obscaenus (“inauspicious; ominous; disgusting, filthy; offensive, repulsive; indecent, lewd, obscene”).
The further etymology is uncertain, but may be from ob- (prefix meaning ‘towards’) + caenum (“dirt, filth; mire, mud”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱweyn- (“to make dirty, soil; filth; mud”)) or scaevus (“left, on the left side; clumsy; (figurative) unlucky”) (from Proto-Indo-European *skeh₂iwo-). If from caenum, the unexpected extra -s- may be from a variant form of the original PIE root; a similar -s- exists in ex-.
Webster’s 1913
- Offensive to chastity or modesty; expressing of presenting to the mind or view something which delicacy, purity, and decency forbid to be exposed; impure; as, obscene language; obscene pictures.
- Foul; fifthy; disgusting.
Etymology [L. obscenus, obscaenus, obscoenus, ill looking, filthy, obscene: cf. F. obscéne.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “obscene”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details