I got curious one day about the difference between obscenity, profanity, and vulgarity. It’s easier once you break them down to their root words with their base definition: obscene is disgusting, profane was originally an act against religion, and vulgar is simply poor taste, tacky.
The real confusion begins with individuals, for everyone has their own idea of what is obscene, profane, or vulgar.
I find Jerry Flynt’s Hustler magazine obscene as well as this gentleman’s obsession with his penis. Sure, he’s a good looking guy and well-hung, but really??
Muslim terrorists profane the Qu’ran by using it to excuse their behavior. Whatever happened to do unto others? Not that the Catholic Church has any excuses for covering up the child abuse their priests, bishops, and cardinals have indulged in. Talk about profanity . . .
As for Saddam Hussein, his preference for building palaces over helping his people is as vulgar as this license plate.
Who thinks any of this is a good idea??
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Obscenity | Profanity | Vulgarity |
|---|---|---|
 — |
 — |
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| Part of Grammar: | ||
| Noun
Plural: obscenities |
Noun
Plural: profanities |
Noun
Plural: vulgarities |
| Obscene: Behavior, appearance, or expression (such as films and books) that violate accepted standards of sexual morality Disgusting The character, state, or quality of being obscene
Something obscene, as a picture or story An obscene word or expression, especially when used as an invective
|
Irreverent or not respectful of sacred matters
Blasphemous or obscene language
|
Tacky
Quality or state of not having good taste, manners, politeness, etc. Something (such as a word) that is offensive or rude |
| Examples: | ||
| The book was banned for obscenity.
Some people believe that Robert Mapplethorpe’s work was an obscenity. The men scowled and muttered obscenities. In 1972, George Carlin was arrested for his monologue, “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television“and charged with violating obscenity laws. The Hayes Code of 1930 laid out the rules of what would be considered obscene in the movies. |
There was an outburst of profanity.
God damn it! My parents won’t tolerate profanity in the house. Disturbing those burial sites is a profanity! Different cultures have differing ideas on what constitutes profanity. |
He’s known for his vulgarities.
The bible was edited of its vulgarities to make it more acceptable (What). “As always, the British especially shudder at the latest American vulgarity, and then they embrace it with enthusiasm two years later” (Cooke). The nouveau riche are stereotyped for their vulgarity. |
| Derivatives: | ||
| Adjective: obscene, unobscene Adverb: obscenely Noun: antiobscenity, antiobscenities, obsceneness, unobsceneness |
Adjective: half-profane, nonprofane, profanatory, profane Adverb: profanely Noun: nonprofanity, nonprofanities, profanation, profaneness, profaner, semiprofanity, semiprofanities |
Adjective: vulgar Adverb: unvulgarly, vulgarly Noun: nonvulgarity, nonvulgarities, unvulgar, unvulgarness, vulgarness Verb: profaned, profaning |
| History of the Word: | ||
| The first known use was in the 1580s.
From the French obscénité from the Latin obscenitatem ( the nominative is obscenitas) meaning inauspiciousness, filthiness, which is from obscenus meaning offensive In the 1610s, it meant a foul or loathsome act. By 1690, it was meant as a sense of an obscene utterance or word. |
Mid-16th century from the late Latin profanitas, which is from the Latin profanus meaning not sacred. | The first known use was in 1579. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Obscenity vs Profanity vs Vulgarity
Apple Dictionary.com
Cooke, Alistair. “Vulgarity Quotes.” Brainy Quotes. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/vulgarity.html#SCPRKydH2meDkt1O.99>.
Dictionary.com: obscenity
What the Bleep Does the Bible Say About Profanity?” Relevant. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://relevantmagazine.com/life5/what-bleep-does-bible-say-about-profanity/>.
Pinterest Photo Credits
e20130403 (8)f by madgrey Korea: Pope Francis Haem Martyrdom Holy Ground 05, which is courtesy of KOREA.NET – Official page of the Republic of Korea, and Suck Snot by Gamma Man are all under the CC BY 2.0 license, via VisualHunt.
Revised as of 16 Apr 2024
By: Kathy Davie