# vulgar

/ˈvəɫɡɝ/ (US) · /vˈʌlɡɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/vulgar
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. rude or offensive

adjective · CEFR B2

rude, offensive, or lacking good manners.

For teachers: 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.

### 2. common or ordinary

adjective · CEFR C1 · Archaic · Formal

relating to ordinary people rather than the rich or highly educated.

For teachers: 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.

### 3. math fractions

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical · British English

a common fraction written with one number above another.

For teachers: 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.

### 4. the common people

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

ordinary people as a group, often used in an unkind way by those who think they are better.

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- He used a vulgar word to describe the mess.
- The manager asked the team to avoid vulgar jokes during the client meeting.
- The author's use of vulgar imagery serves to ground the lofty philosophical themes in the gritty reality of everyday life.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.