raunch

[rawnch, rahnch] / rɔntʃ, rɑntʃ /

NOUN

obscenity

Synonyms

STRONG

abomination affront atrocity bawdiness blight blueness coarseness curse dirt dirtiness evil filth filthiness foulness grossness immodesty impropriety impurity indecency indelicacy lewdness licentiousness lubricity offense outrage porn pornography profaneness profanity prurience ribaldry salacity scatology scurrility sleaze smut smuttiness swearword vileness vulgarity wrong

WEAK

X-rating dirty name dirty word four-letter word scurrilousness suggestiveness vulgarness

Antonyms

STRONG

blessing cleanliness compliment decency delight goodness happiness joy kindness modesty morality pleasantry purity right sterility tastefulness virtue

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.

If Hulu’s “Shoresy” is the poster child for successfully balancing raunch and heart, “Ted” is on the opposite end — crass and lazy.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

He’s always taken an opposing approach from Maron, purveying raunch instead of raw honesty, channeling swagger, shock and dismissiveness as opposed to connection and intimacy.

From Salon • Jun. 4, 2025

Yet despite the song’s uninhibited raunch, its popularity was partly earned from one of the music industry’s oldest bugaboos: self-censorship.

From New York Times • Oct. 27, 2020

In one of the more amusing scenes in “Blockers,” a strained raunch fest about a long, dark prom night of the soul, three middle-age adults get a crash course in advanced text-message symbology.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2018

Ali Wong: A writer for ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat,” Wong mixes raunch, pop culture and stories about growing up with Chinese and Vietnamese parents in her energetic stand-up.

From Washington Post • Mar. 31, 2016