Skip to main content
grossness

grossness

1 5.6
A rude or crude way of acting, speaking and dressing
  • noun
  • /ˈɡroʊsnəs/
translation icon : grosería
  • More fundamentally, some episodes have implications that reach far beyond those directly involved, whether because of the grossness of these episodes, the official sanctions they embody, or the dear, chilling message of intimidation that they convey.

Examples

  • The grossness of my imagination shocked me.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Many of Clinton's allies were not even embarrassed by the grossness of their double standard.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The cake tasted like dense grossness with Elmer's glue on top with added sugar.

    Blog text (22)
  • Years ago, I thought it was pretty gross too, but after dealing with cloth diapers for my kid, the reusable pads don't have the same grossness factor anymore.

    Blog text (33)
  • His jokes often crossed the line into grossness, making the audience uncomfortable.

  • The film was criticized for its grossness, lacking any real artistic value.

  • Many people found the grossness of the reality show off-putting and distasteful.

Synonyms

vulgarity
vsgrossness
  • NSFW
18 7.4

A lack of good taste and politeness in speech or behavior

is the general term for tastelessness and social coarseness
coarseness
vsgrossness
2 6.4

Rudeness or crude behavior that shows little politeness

captures vulgar lack of taste rather than simply rough manners
raunch
vsgrossness
  • Offensive
1 9.7

A quality of being crude and sexually shocking

is about general lack of refinement rather than explicit indecency
tastelessness
vsgrossness
1 6.8

Poor style that makes people feel uncomfortable

stresses rude or vulgar conduct rather than mere aesthetic poor taste
vulgarism
vsgrossness
  • NSFW
9.1

A crude, tasteless way of acting, speaking or decorating

covers broad coarseness including behavior not just single expressions
commonness
vsgrossness
7.2

Lack of good taste that seems rude or simple

focuses on coarse vulgarity rather than plain ordinariness

Antonyms

10 5.9

A polished, elegant way of acting that shows good taste

4 5.3

A soft, gentle beauty in small or carefully made things

1 4.5

A sense of good style in clothes, design, or manners

How Coarse

obscenity
  • Offensive
50 7.4
vulgarity
  • NSFW
18 7.4
grossness
1 5.6

Surface Forms

grossness singular
grossnesses plural

Morphology

grossness = gross (transparent) = gross + ness

Formed by the productive noun-forming suffix '-ness' added to the adjective 'gross', yielding an abstract quality that is directly inferable.

Etymology

Grossness comes from old French gros and Latin grossus, which meant 'large' or 'thick'. That idea of being 'big' and rough turned into a sense of being 'coarse' or 'showy', so grossness now means 'coarseness' or 'a lack of taste'.