Word
vulgar
Phoneticsvul·gar, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈvəɫɡɝ/
UK/vˈʌlɡɐ/
Definitions
01rude or offensive
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. rude, offensive, or lacking good manners.
adj. lacking sophistication or good taste; making reference to subjects that are considered indecent or obscene.
“The comedian was criticized for making vulgar jokes about the audience.”
“The film was dismissed by critics as a vulgar attempt to gain attention through shock value rather than clever writing.”
02common or ordinary
C1 · Advanced Archaic · Formal
adj. relating to ordinary people rather than the rich or highly educated.
adj. pertaining to the common people or the masses; often used in historical contexts to distinguish from the elite or the clergy.
“In the past, scholars wrote in Latin while the vulgar tongue was used by the public.”
“The transition from Latin to vulgar dialects marked a significant shift in the accessibility of religious texts during the Reformation.”
Antonyms
03math fractions
C2 · Proficiency Mathematics Technical · British English
adj. a common fraction written with one number above another.
adj. denoting a common fraction as opposed to a decimal fraction.
“The teacher asked the students to convert the vulgar fraction into a decimal.”
“While decimals are preferred for most scientific calculations, vulgar fractions remain standard in certain traditional engineering measurements.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
04the common people
C2 · Proficiency Plural noun Archaic · Literary
n. ordinary people as a group, often used in an unkind way by those who think they are better.
n. the common people or the masses, typically used with a derogatory or elitist connotation.
“The king had little interest in the opinions of the vulgar.”
“The author’s disdain for the vulgar is evident in his descriptions of the city's crowded marketplaces.”
Etymology
From Middle English vulgare, from Latin vulgāris, from volgus, vulgus (“mob; common folk”), from Proto-Indo-European *wl̥k-. Compare Welsh gwala (“plenty, sufficiency”), Ancient Greek ἁλία (halía, “assembly”), εἰλέω (eiléō, “to compress”), Old Church Slavonic великъ (velikŭ, “great”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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