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indecency

indecency

12 6.3
Behavior or speech people find offensive and wrong
  • noun
  • /ɪnˈdiːsənsi/
  • NSFW
translation icon : indecencia
  • Like any woman who exhibited her art in late-eighteenth-century Paris, Labille-Guiard walked a fine line between propriety and indecency.
  • gross indecency
  • public indecency
  • war on indecency

But the FCC levies fines on indecency.

Examples

  • He was a leading critic of the president, until he was arrested for indecency.

  • You do know public indecency is a crime in the state of Utah?

  • A generation ago, my students would have been arrested for indecency for wearing the clothes that they do.

  • "He should be charged with public indecency."

  • We can charge a university professor with indecency.

  • You're under arrest for indecency.

  • He'd got popped about ten years before for public indecency.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Convicted of gross indecency, he was sentenced to two years of hard labor at Reading Gaol.

    Blog text (6)
  • Purse-snatching, vandalism, public indecency.

  • The judge ruled that her behavior during the event was an act of indecency.

Synonyms

obscenity
vsindecency
  • Offensive
50 7.4

Sexual or rude material that offends people

applies to general moral or social offence, not only explicit images or language
filth
vsindecency
  • Offensive
45 7.0

Strong rude words that shock or upset people

is broader, covering behavior, speech, or acts that offend beyond just words
impropriety
vsindecency
  • Formal
19 8.1

An action or remark that is not socially acceptable

refers to general behavior or speech rather than one single act
smut
vsindecency
  • Offensive
13 8.8

Words, pictures, or stories about sex that people find rude

refers to actions or speech that offend, not the material itself
lewdness
vsindecency
  • Offensive
4 7.9

Sexual words or actions that are rude and offensive

is broader, covering moral or social wrongness not limited to sexual conduct
nastiness
vsindecency
3 5.0

A strong unpleasant quality that makes people uncomfortable

is more about social or moral wrongness rather than general unpleasantness
indelicacy
vsindecency
  • Formal
1 8.1

Words or actions that are rude and hurt other people's feelings

is stronger, involving moral or social offence rather than mere rudeness
indecorum
vsindecency
  • Formal
9.9

Bad behaviour that breaks common polite rules

emphasizes breach of manners and etiquette rather than moral wrongness
bawdiness
vsindecency
  • NSFW
9.2

A type of indecent sexual joke or language

is broader, covering general moral or social offence beyond crude sexual joking
smuttiness
vsindecency
  • Offensive
9.3

A quality of speech or writing that is rude about sex

is more general, applying to any moral or social wrong in acts or words

Antonyms

155 3.0

Polite, respectful behavior that follows common social rules

propriety
  • Formal
27 7.4

Behavior that most people think is correct in a situation

How Indecent

perversion
  • Offensive
19 8.8
obscenity
  • Offensive
50 7.4
indecency
  • NSFW
12 6.3
impropriety
  • Formal
16 8.0

Surface Forms

indecency singular
indecencies plural

Morphology

indecency = indecent (transparent) = in + decent + cy

The noun is a regular and easily interpretable formation from the adjective 'indecent', meaning the quality or instance of being indecent.

Etymology

Indecency comes from the prefix in- meaning 'not' and the word decent meaning 'proper' or 'fitting'. That's why indecency means behavior or speech that is 'not proper' and often offensive.