Meanings
nounbad language (uncountable)
- uncountableProfanity.
Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: vows and oaths. Consider for a moment the origins of almost any word we have for bad language – "profanity", "curses", "oaths" and "swearing" itself.
2013 June 14, Sam Leith, “Where the profound meets the profane”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 37
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Translations
French gros mots
- gros motsprofanity
Greek αθυροστομία
- αθυροστομία (athyrostomía)profanity
Irish droch-chaint, drochtheanga
- droch-chaintprofanity
- drochtheangaprofanity
Cite this entry
APA
bad language. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bad%20language
MLA
“bad language.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bad%20language. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bad language,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bad%20language.
Source: bad language on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.