obscene
obscene
Definition
ob·scene (äb sēn′, əb-)
adjective
- offensive to one's feelings, or to prevailing notions, of modesty or decency; lewd
- disgusting; repulsive
- Law designating or of books, films, etc. which when judged by contemporary community standards, are found to appeal to a prurient interest in sex, be patently offensive, and have no serious artistic, scientific, or social value
Etymology: Fr obscène < L obscenus, obscaenus < obs-, var. of ob- (see ob-) + caenum, filth < IE *weino- < base *kwei-, muck, filth > ON hvein, swampy land
obscene
Synonyms
obscene
modif.
obscene
Law Definition
adj
Exceptionally repugnant to the contemporary standards
of decency and morality within the community; grossly obnoxious to the notions
of acceptable behavior.
obscene
Usage Examples
Modifies a noun
- gesture: Wasn't sure whether other rider was waving or making an obscene gesture.
- graffito: Graffiti We will remove racist or obscene graffiti by the end of the next working day.
- caller: In this case, if the obscene caller forwarded calls to your phone, the return would end up there.
- inequality: Instead, the expansion of trade has fuelled the widening of obscene inequalities.
- amount: With the obscene amounts of money you must be making now surely you can have both?
- joke: An actor playing a stand-up comedian suffering from insecurity problems tells a series of increasingly obscene jokes.
Modifying Another Word
- downright: Yes, it's clunky, silly and often downright obscene.
- almost: Rover tried to generate almost obscene levels of profit from the City.
- truly: And this morning it is giving itself a massive pat on the back with a truly obscene bit of self-promotion.
- sometimes: Such mail usually advertises get-rich-quick schemes, ' health ' products, or websites, sometimes obscene.
- too: Charlie, Peanuts and a several others which are far too obscene for publication.
- not: Indeed, a leading QC gave his opinion that the film was not obscene.
Used with adjective complement
- seem: It seemed obscene a private entity could profit off the imprisonment of fellow citizens.
- consider: Of course this then means that Customs don't receive much feedback on what is considered obscene.
- find: Given the critical reputation that the film enjoyed, he therefore concluded that it was highly unlikely to be found obscene by a jury.
- deem: Deemed obscene by the Vatican and banned by the BBC, it became the first foreign-language song to reach number one.
- contain: Do not visit sites or download files containing obscene, pornographic, discriminatory or otherwise offensive material.
- become: Religion has become obscene, or perhaps we should say medical.
obscene Quotes
Tout ce qui est anachronique est obsce' ne. Everything anachronistic is obscene.
Y yo, yo, Sen or, no tendre¤ nunca una querida tan linda como esa querida que lucen los cromos de los libros viciosos! And I, Sir,I'll never havea mistress asbeautifulasthose in the pictures of obscene books!
Browse dictionary entries near obscene
- obscene material
- obscenely
- obscenities
- obscenity
- obscurant
- obscurantic
- obscurantism
- obscurantist
- obscuration
- obscure
