vulgar
Americanadjective
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characterized by ignorance of or lack of good breeding or taste.
vulgar ostentation.
-
indecent; obscene; lewd.
a vulgar work; a vulgar gesture.
-
crude; coarse; unrefined.
a vulgar peasant.
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of, relating to, or constituting the ordinary people in a society.
the vulgar masses.
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current; popular; common.
a vulgar success; vulgar beliefs.
-
spoken by, or being in the language spoken by, the people generally; vernacular.
vulgar tongue.
- Synonyms:
- colloquial
-
lacking in distinction, aesthetic value, or charm; banal; ordinary.
a vulgar painting.
noun
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Archaic. the common people.
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Obsolete. the vernacular.
adjective
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marked by lack of taste, culture, delicacy, manners, etc
vulgar behaviour
vulgar language
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(often capital; usually prenominal) denoting a form of a language, esp of Latin, current among common people, esp at a period when the formal language is archaic and not in general spoken use
-
archaic
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of, relating to, or current among the great mass of common people, in contrast to the educated, cultured, or privileged; ordinary
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( as collective noun; preceded by the )
the vulgar
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Usage
Terms that are labeled Vulgar in this dictionary are considered inappropriate in many circumstances because of their association with a taboo subject. Major taboo subjects in English-speaking countries are sex and excretion and the parts of the body associated with those functions.
Related Words
See common.
Other Word Forms
- unvulgar adjective
- unvulgarly adverb
- unvulgarness noun
- vulgarly adverb
- vulgarness noun
Etymology
Origin of vulgar
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin vulgāris, from vulg(us) “common people, crowd” + -āris -ar 1
Explanation
Someone who's vulgar has bad taste, and could also be called unrefined or unsophisticated. Your snobby neighbor might mutter about your family's vulgar taste if you paint your house with hot pink stripes. From the Latin vulgus, meaning "the common people," vulgar is an adjective that can describe anything from the sexually explicit to the merely ugly and crass. A crude joke could be considered vulgar, as could a breach of etiquette at a dinner party. Your dad might love the lights and glamour of Times Square, while your mom finds all the brightly colored corporate logos to be vulgar.
Vocabulary lists containing vulgar
More Negative Words to Describe a Person
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Fences
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To Ms. Noonan, awarding honors in the chamber is vulgar theatrics.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026
Olympic men’s hockey team marched in, it was vulgar and fabulous.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026
But now, online scammers were co-opting her iconic image for "vulgar and despicable attempts to exploit her legacy", the Brigitte Bardot Foundation said.
From BBC • Jan. 4, 2026
And no joke is more vulgar than one mocking the pain of your neighbors, whether they were born in this country or not.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 27, 2025
He called from the rear of the house, “I heard that, you vulgar girl. I’m in the kitchen.”
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
