Meanings
plural swear words · alternative swearword
- broadlyA word considered vulgar or offensive.
Your kid said nasty swear words to me this morning.
2 more examples
Near-synonyms: epithet, four-letter word; (uncountable) bad language, strong language, French
When I heard swear words from the next room, I decided to keep my distance.
Synonyms: dirty word, curse word, naughty word, curse, expletive, swearing, epithet, four-letter word
- strictlyA word that escapes someone's mind (and therefore often also their mouth) in a nearly automatic way when the person is under duress, mental stress, or distress; such words are often vulgar or offensive.
Near-synonyms: dirty word, curse word, naughty word, curse, epithet, four-letter word; (uncountable) bad language, strong language, French
Synonyms: expletive
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA word considered vulgar or offensive.
nounA word that escapes someone's mind (and therefore often also their mouth) in a nearly automatic way when the person is under duress, mental stress, or distress; such words are often vulgar or offensive.
Translations
Arabic بَذَاءَة, شَتِيمَة
- بَذَاءَة (baḏāʔa)offensive word
- شَتِيمَة (šatīma)offensive word
- سُبَّة (subba)offensive word
Bulgarian кле́тва, псувня́
- кле́тва (klétva)offensive word
- псувня́ (psuvnjá)offensive word
- ругатня́ (rugatnjá)offensive word
Catalan paraulota, grolleria
- paraulotaoffensive word
- grolleriaoffensive word
- renecoffensive word
Chinese Cantonese 粗口
- 粗口 (cou¹ hau²)offensive word
Chinese Mandarin 粗話 /粗话, 髒字 /脏字
- 粗話 /粗话offensive word
- 髒字 /脏字 (zāngzì)offensive word
- 罵人話 /骂人话 (màrénhuà)offensive word
- 髒話 /脏话 (zānghuà)offensive word
Czech sprosté slovo, nadávka
- sprosté slovooffensive word
- nadávkaoffensive word
- zakleníoffensive word
Danish bandeord, ed
- bandeordoffensive word
- edoffensive word
- kraftudtrykoffensive word
Dutch vloek, scheldwoord
- vloekoffensive word
- scheldwoordoffensive word
- krachttermoffensive word
- verwensingoffensive word
- drieletterwoordoffensive word
Esperanto fivorto
- fivortooffensive word
Finnish kirosana
- kirosanaoffensive word
French juron, gros mot
- juronoffensive word
- gros motoffensive word
German Schimpfwort, Fluch
- Schimpfwortoffensive word
- Fluchoffensive word
- Kraftausdruckoffensive word
Greek βρισιά
- βρισιά (vrisiá)offensive word
Hebrew קְלָלָה
- קְלָלָה (k'lalá)offensive word
Hindi गाली
- गाली (gālī)offensive word
Hungarian csúnya szó, káromkodás
- csúnya szóoffensive word
- káromkodásoffensive word
- szitokoffensive word
- szitokszóoffensive word
- trágárságoffensive word
- szitkozódásoffensive word
Icelandic blótsyrði
- blótsyrðioffensive word
Indonesian kata makian, makian
- kata makianoffensive word
- makianoffensive word
- umpatanoffensive word
- kata-kata kasaroffensive word
Irish eascaine, mionn mór
- eascaineoffensive word
- mionn móroffensive word
- tiomnaoffensive word
- crístínoffensive word
- diairmínoffensive word
Italian parolaccia
- parolacciaoffensive word
Japanese 卑語, 罵り言葉
- 卑語 (higo)offensive word
- 罵り言葉 (nonoshiri kotoba)offensive word
Korean 비어, 욕설
- 비어 (bieo)offensive word
- 욕설 (yokseol)offensive word
- 욕 (yok)offensive word
- 악담 (akdam)offensive word
- 저주 (jeoju)offensive word
Latvian lamuvārds
- lamuvārdsoffensive word
Malay kata makian, makian
- kata makianoffensive word
- makianoffensive word
Māori kohukohu
- kohukohuoffensive word
Norwegian Bokmål kraftuttrykk, banneord
- kraftuttrykkoffensive word
- banneordoffensive word
- edoffensive word
Persian فُحْش, دُشْنام
- فُحْش (fohš)offensive word
- دُشْنام (došnâm)offensive word
Polish przekleństwo
- przekleństwooffensive word
Portuguese palavrão, nome feio
- palavrãooffensive word
- nome feiooffensive word
Romanian înjurătură
- înjurăturăoffensive word
Russian руга́тельство, руга́тельное сло́во
- руга́тельство (rugátelʹstvo)offensive word
- руга́тельное сло́во (rugátelʹnoje slóvo)offensive word
- неприли́чное сло́во (neprilíčnoje slóvo)offensive word
- бра́нное сло́во (bránnoje slóvo)offensive word
- сло́во из трёх бу́кв (slóvo iz trjox búkv)offensive word
- сло́во на три бу́квы (slóvo na tri búkvy)offensive word
- трёхэта́жное сло́во (trjoxɛtážnoje slóvo)offensive word
- матю́к (matjúk)offensive word
- матю́г (matjúg)offensive word
Slovak nadávka
- nadávkaoffensive word
Spanish palabrota, garabato
- palabrotaoffensive word
- garabatooffensive word
- groseríaoffensive word
- lisuraoffensive word
- mala palabraoffensive word
- tacooffensive word
- palabrooffensive word
- ordinariezoffensive word
- improperiooffensive word
Swedish svordom, svärord
- svordomoffensive word
- svärordoffensive word
- kraftuttryckoffensive word
Tagalog alpog, mura
- alpogoffensive word
- muraoffensive word
Tamil கெட்ட வார்த்தை
- கெட்ட வார்த்தை (keṭṭa vārttai)offensive word
Thai คำสบถ
- คำสบถoffensive word
Turkish küfür
- küfüroffensive word
Ukrainian лайли́ве сло́во, матю́к
- лайли́ве сло́во (lajlýve slóvo)offensive word
- матю́к (matjúk)offensive word
- ла́йка (lájka)offensive word
Welsh llw
- llwoffensive word
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with swear word
Cite this entry
swear word. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swear%20word
“swear word.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swear%20word. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “swear word,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swear%20word.
Source: swear word on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.