Vulgar Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Related Words

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms vulgar American [vuhl-ger] / ˈvʌl gər /

adjective

1. characterized by ignorance of or lack of good breeding or taste.

   vulgar ostentation.

   Synonyms: ribald, coarse, low, inelegant, unrefined

2. indecent; obscene; lewd.

   a vulgar work; a vulgar gesture.

3. crude; coarse; unrefined.

   a vulgar peasant.

   Synonyms: rude, boorish

4. of, relating to, or constituting the ordinary people in a society.

   the vulgar masses.

5. current; popular; common.

   a vulgar success; vulgar beliefs.

6. spoken by, or being in the language spoken by, the people generally; vernacular.

   vulgar tongue.

   Synonyms: colloquial

7. lacking in distinction, aesthetic value, or charm; banal; ordinary.

   a vulgar painting.

noun

1. Archaic. the common people.

2. Obsolete. the vernacular.

vulgar British / ˈvʌlɡə /

adjective

1. marked by lack of taste, culture, delicacy, manners, etc

   vulgar behaviour

   vulgar language

2. (often capital; usually prenominal) denoting a form of a language, esp of Latin, current among common people, esp at a period when the formal language is archaic and not in general spoken use

3. archaic

   1. of, relating to, or current among the great mass of common people, in contrast to the educated, cultured, or privileged; ordinary

   2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      the vulgar

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

Terms that are labeled Vulgar in this dictionary are considered inappropriate in many circumstances because of their association with a taboo subject. Major taboo subjects in English-speaking countries are sex and excretion and the parts of the body associated with those functions.

Related Words

See common.

Other Word Forms

• unvulgar adjective
• unvulgarly adverb
• unvulgarness noun
• vulgarly adverb
• vulgarness noun

Etymology

Origin of vulgar

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin vulgāris, from vulg(us) “common people, crowd” + -āris -ar 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Olympic men’s hockey team marched in, it was vulgar and fabulous.

From The Wall Street Journal

When, instead, another Black Democrat from Chicago, Barack Obama, headed toward the Democratic nomination in 2008, Jackson’s frustration spilled into public with a vulgar criticism of Obama caught on microphone.

From Los Angeles Times

The vulgar kitsch of “The Housemaid” is its silly secret weapon, and it’s Seyfried who stays reloading the ammunition, making sure that this hefty dose of frivolity is as unforgettable as its conventionally prestigious contemporaries.

From Salon

“Workers should never be subjected to vulgar language or behavior by anyone—including the President of the United States,” the union said in the statement posted on X.

From The Wall Street Journal

But now, online scammers were co-opting her iconic image for "vulgar and despicable attempts to exploit her legacy", the Brigitte Bardot Foundation said.

From BBC

Related Words

• boorish
• coarse
• crude
• disgusting
• filthy
• impolite
• indecent
• nasty
• naughty
• obscene
• off-color
• profane
• ribald
• scatological
• suggestive
• tasteless
• tawdry

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.