vulgar
vulgar Lexical Profile
vulgar Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Making explicit and offensive reference to sex or bodily functions; coarse and indecent.
"The comedian washeckled off the stage after telling a series of vulgar jokes."
Lacking sophistication, good taste, or refinement; uncultured and ostentatious.
"Critics dismissed the billionaire's gold-plated mansion as a vulgar display of wealth."
Characteristic of or belonging to the ordinary masses of people; vernacular or common rather than formal or literary.
"Romance languages evolved primarily from Vulgar Latin spoken by soldiers and colonists rather than from classical literary texts."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'vulgar' most commonly carries a strong negative connotation of crudeness or obscenity today, in academic, historical, and linguistic contexts (such as 'Vulgar Latin' or 'vulgar fractions') it retains its neutral original sense meaning 'common' or 'vernacular'.
• Rhymes for vulgar
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late Middle Ages from Latin 'vulgaris' ('of or belonging to the common people, everyday, ordinary'), derived from 'vulgus' ('the common people, multitude, crowd'). Over time, its meaning shifted from neutral 'common' to pejorative 'coarse' and 'ill-mannered'.