profanity

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin profānitās. By surface analysis, profane +‎ -ity.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /pɹəˈfænɪti/
    • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • (US) IPA(key): /pɹəˈfænɪti/, (/æ/ raising) [pɹəˈfɛənɪti], /pɹoʊˈfænɪti/, (/æ/ raising) [pɹoʊˈfɛənɪti]
  • Rhymes: -ænɪti

Noun

profanity (countable and uncountable, plural profanities)

  1. (uncountable) The quality of being profane; quality of irreverence, of treating sacred things with contempt.
    • 1910, John William Cousin, “Bunyan, John”, in A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature:
      The overwhelming power of his imagination led him to contemplate acts of impiety and profanity, and to a vivid realisation of the dangers these involved.
  2. (countable) Obscene, lewd or abusive language.
    Synonyms: swear word, curse word, vulgarity
    He ran up and down the street screaming profanities like a madman.
    • 2013 June 14, Sam Leith, “Where the profound meets the profane”, in The Guardian Weekly‎[1], volume 189, number 1, archived from the original on 13 October 2026, page 37:
      Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: vows and oaths. Consider for a moment the origins of almost any word we have for bad language – "profanity", "curses", "oaths" and "swearing" itself.
    • 2025 September 12, Glenn Thrush, Devlin Barrett, Adam Goldman, “Patel and F.B.I. Face Scrutiny as Kirk’s Killer Remains at Large”, in The New York Times‎[2], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 January 2026:
      Mr. [Kash] Patel said he would not tolerate any more “Mickey Mouse operations,” an official on the call recounted. It was one of his few utterances without profanity, the person added.

Derived terms

Translations

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