vulgar

vulgar — adjective

1. describes something that shows poor taste in style, beauty, or manners — for exa

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes something that shows poor taste in style, beauty, or manners — for example, decorations that are too bright, too heavily decorated, or too showy in a way that seems like trying too hard to impress others.

Example

Roya thought the gold-plated furniture was vulgar and tasteless.

collocation: vulgar + tasteless

The hotel's decor was so vulgar that many guests complained about it.

Common collocations
  • vulgar display
  • vulgar taste
  • vulgar decor
  • vulgar colours
  • vulgar show of wealth
Synonyms
  • tasteless

    a weaker, more general term; lacks the suggestion of showiness or trying too hard

  • garish

    specifically about colours or decoration being too bright and harsh

  • crude

    suggests roughness or lack of refinement rather than showy tastelessness

  • showy

    describes something designed to attract attention, not always in a negative way

Antonyms
  • elegant

    graceful and stylish, with good taste

  • tasteful

    showing good aesthetic judgment and restraint

  • refined

    cultured and sophisticated in manner or style

Grammar Patterns

vulgar + noun

be + vulgar

find + object + vulgar

Usage Note

Often used to criticise decoration, fashion, or displays of wealth. This sense is about style and taste, not about morality or decency.

Common Mistakes

The food was vulgar.
The food was tasteless.
'vulgar' describes style and appearance, not flavour or quality of food.
He told a vulgar story about his neighbour.
He told a rude/gossipy story about his neighbour.
unless the story was sexually crude, 'vulgar' is too strong.

2. describes language, jokes, or behaviour that is rude in a sexual or crude way an

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes language, jokes, or behaviour that is rude in a sexual or crude way and likely to shock or offend people who hear or see it.

Example

The comedian was criticised for making vulgar jokes about the audience.

collocation: vulgar joke

Gabriel apologised after his vulgar language upset several people at the table.

collocation: vulgar language

Common collocations
  • vulgar joke
  • vulgar language
  • vulgar gesture
  • vulgar comment
  • vulgar story
Synonyms
  • crude

    blunt or rough in manner, but not necessarily sexually offensive

  • obscene

    much stronger; describes sexual content that is shocking and may be illegal

  • coarse

    rough and unrefined in speech or manner, overlapping with vulgar but less strong

  • lewd

    explicitly sexual in a crude way, narrower than vulgar

Antonyms
  • polite

    showing good manners and consideration for others

  • decent

    proper and morally acceptable, not offensive

  • refined

    cultured and showing good manners

Grammar Patterns

vulgar + noun

be + vulgar

find + object + vulgar

Usage Note

Stronger disapproval than sense 1. This sense is commonly used in warnings about language or content that may shock people, especially children. Often applied to words, jokes, gestures, and online content rather than directly to people.

Common Mistakes

He made a vulgar noise at the dinner table.
He made a rude noise at the dinner table.
'vulgar' implies sexual or bodily crudeness, not just any impolite behaviour.
The movie was vulgar because it was too violent.
The movie was violent/disturbing.
'vulgar' relates to sexual crudeness, not violence.

Word family

  • vulgarity
    nounB2
  • vulgarly
    adverbC1
  • vulgarian
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

Vulgar, crude, obscene, and coarse all describe language or behaviour that is considered improper, but they differ in strength and focus. Vulgar is the broadest of the four — it covers any rude comment that is tasteless and likely to offend, especially about sex or bodily functions. Crude is weaker; it describes something blunt, unrefined, or roughly stated without necessarily being offensive — a crude joke might just be unsophisticated. Obscene is much stronger and refers specifically to sexual content that is shocking enough to be considered illegal in some countries. Coarse overlaps with both vulgar and crude but emphasises roughness and lack of polish in tone or manner — a coarse remark is blunt and unsubtle. For example: calling a body part by a street name is vulgar; describing it using a scientific term in a rude tone is crude; a graphic description intended to shock is obscene.

vulgar ↗crude ↗obscenecoarse

Common collocations

Nouns

  • vulgar behaviour
  • vulgar display
  • vulgar sense of humour
  • vulgarity

Adverbs

  • incredibly vulgar
  • rather vulgar
  • somewhat vulgar
  • deliberately vulgar
  • deeply vulgar

Phrases

  • a vulgar display of wealth
  • vulgar sense of humour

Prepositions

  • vulgar in style
  • vulgar in taste
  • vulgar in language

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Vulgar comes from Latin 'vulgaris', meaning 'of or belonging to the common people', which was formed from 'vulgus' ('the crowd, the general public'). In English it first meant simply 'common' or 'ordinary' — you can still see this in old terms like 'vulgar fraction' (a fraction written with numerator and denominator, i.e. an 'ordinary' fraction). Over time, because upper classes associated the tastes and manners of ordinary people with poor quality, the meaning shifted from 'common' to 'lacking refinement', and eventually to 'rude or indecent'.