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OBSCENELY

 - 4 dictionary results

ob⋅scene

  [uhb-seen]
Use OBSCENELY in a Sentence
–adjective
1. offensive to morality or decency; indecent; depraved: obscene language.
2. causing uncontrolled sexual desire.
3. abominable; disgusting; repulsive.
Origin:
1585–95; < L obscēnus, obscaenus

Related forms:
ob⋅scene⋅ly, adverb
ob⋅scene⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ob·scene   (ŏb-sēn', əb-)   
adj.  

  1. Offensive to accepted standards of decency or modesty.

  2. Inciting lustful feelings; lewd.

  3. Repulsive; disgusting: "The way he writes about the disease that killed her is simply obscene" (Michael Korda).

  4. So large in amount as to be objectionable or outrageous: "local merchants in nearby stores get hammered by stratospheric rents and obscene taxes" (Joe Queenan).


[Latin obscēnus.]
ob·scene'ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

obscene 
1593, "offensive to the senses, or to taste and refinement," from M.Fr. obscène, from L. obscenus "offensive," especially to modesty, originally "boding ill, inauspicious," perhaps from ob "onto" + cænum "filth." Meaning "offensive to modesty or decency" is attested from 1598. Legally, in U.S., it hinges on "whether to the average person, applying contemporary community standards, the dominant theme of the material taken as a whole appeals to a prurient interest." [Justice William Brennan, "Roth v. United States," June 24, 1957]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: ob·scene
Pronunciation: äb-'sEn
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle French, from Latin obscenus obscaenus indecent, lewd
: extremely or deeply offensive according to contemporary community standards of morality or decency —see also Roth v. United States in the IMPORTANT CASES section
NOTE: The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that obscene applies to materials that appeal predominantly to a prurient interest in sexual conduct, depict or describe sexual conduct in a patently offensive way, and lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. Material or expression deemed obscene by the court is not protected by the free speech guarantee of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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