ENGLISH
REFERENCE

vulgar

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈvəɫɡɝ// UK //vˈʌlɡɐ// vul·gar Archaic Vulgar

adj. rude or offensive, especially when talking about sex or the body. You use this word to describe language or behavior that is not polite.

adj. relating to sex or bodily functions in a way that is considered rude or offensive. Often used to describe language that is not suitable for formal or polite company.


SIMPLE

He used a vulgar word to describe the mess.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager asked the team to avoid vulgar jokes during the client meeting.

COMPLEX

The author's use of vulgar imagery serves to ground the lofty philosophical themes in the gritty reality of everyday life.

Synonyms
Origin

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”).

Usage

Often paired with 'language' or 'expression'. Can also mean 'common' or 'ordinary' in older literary texts.

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