profanity

profanity — 名詞

1. Language or behaviour that treats a god, a religion, or anything people consider

1.名詞B2
釋義

褻瀆

對神靈或宗教不敬的言行

Language or behaviour that treats a god, a religion, or anything people consider holy without proper respect.

例句

The audience gasped when the actor shouted profanity during the live religious broadcast.

那名演員在現場直播的宗教節目中罵出褻瀆的話，觀眾都倒抽一口氣。

uncountable usage for disrespectful language toward holy things

In many traditional communities, any form of profanity near a temple is deeply offensive.

在許多傳統社群中，任何在寺廟附近的褻瀆言行都是極度冒犯的。

countable: a form of profanity

同義詞
  • blasphemy

    stronger, specifically about speaking against God; profanity is broader and can include behaviour

  • irreverence

    softer and more general; can describe any lack of respect, not only toward religion

  • sacrilege

    stronger and often about physical actions against holy objects or places, not just language

反義詞
  • reverence

    deep respect for something holy; opposite of the attitude shown by profanity

  • piety

    religious devotion and respect; a quality that avoids profanity

用法筆記

Uncountable when referring to the general concept of disrespect toward holy things. Countable when referring to a specific act or utterance — for example, 'That remark was a profanity against our faith.'

常見錯誤

❌He committed profanity against the church.
✅He used profanity against the church.
💡'Use profanity' is the natural collocation; 'commit profanity' sounds unnatural.

2. A taboo word or rude expression, often about sex or bodily functions, that peopl

2.名詞B2
釋義

髒話；粗話

冒犯或低俗的咒罵詞語

A taboo word or rude expression, often about sex or bodily functions, that people use when they feel angry, surprised, or strongly emotional.

例句

The movie was full of profanities that made it unsuitable for young children.

那部電影充滿髒話，不適合年幼兒童觀看。

plural countable: profanities

When Valentina hit her thumb with the hammer, she let out a string of profanities.

Valentina 用鐵鎚敲到大拇指時，脫口而出一連串髒話。

collocation: a string of profanities

同義詞
  • swearing

    uncountable, more informal; describes the act of using bad language rather than the words themselves

  • cursing

    common in American English; can mean both swearing and wishing harm on someone

  • obscenity

    stronger and more formal; usually relates specifically to sexual content that is deeply offensive

  • vulgarity

    broader; includes rude jokes and toilet humour, not just taboo words

反義詞
  • politeness

    socially appropriate language; the opposite of using offensive words

  • decorum

    formal, proper behaviour and speech expected in serious settings

用法筆記

Almost always countable in this sense. The plural form 'profanities' is very common when listing or describing multiple offensive words. Less formal than 'obscenity'.

常見錯誤

❌That movie has a lot of profanity words.
✅That movie has a lot of profanity.' (uncountable, general) OR ✅ 'That movie has a lot of profanities.' (countable, specific words)
💡'Profanity' already refers to words; do not add 'words' after it.