Phrase guide

swear word

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /swɛə(ɹ)wɜːd/
  • General-American: /swɛɹ wɝd/
  • rhymes with -ɝd
  • rhymes with -ɜːd
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A word considered obscene and vulgar or offensive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

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.
  • Your kid said nasty swear words to me this morning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dirty word, curse word, naughty word, curse, expletive, swearing, epithet, four-letter word, bad language, strong language, French

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A 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, etc; such words are often obscene and vulgar or offensive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: strictly

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: dirty word, curse word, naughty word, curse, epithet, four-letter word; (uncountable) bad language, strong language, French

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: expletive, dirty word, curse word, naughty word, curse, epithet, four-letter word, bad language, strong language, French

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

150 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: بَذَاءَة (baḏāʔa) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Arabic: شَتِيمَة (šatīma) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Arabic: سُبَّة (subba) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Armenian: հայհոյանք (hayhoyankʻ) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Armenian: քֆուր (kʻfur) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Asturian: cagamentu — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Asturian: barabatu — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Asturian: cagatu — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Asturian: bravatu — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Asturian: pecáu — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Belarusian: ла́янкавае сло́ва (lájankavaje slóva) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Belarusian: мацю́к (macjúk) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Belarusian: ла́янка (lájanka) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Central Bikol: muda — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Central Bikol: raway — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Bulgarian: кле́тва (klétva) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Bulgarian: псувня́ (psuvnjá) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Bulgarian: ругатня́ (rugatnjá) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Catalan: paraulota — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Catalan: grolleria — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Catalan: renec — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Chinese Cantonese: 粗口 (cou1 hau2) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Chinese Mandarin: 粗話 /粗话 — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Chinese Mandarin: 髒字 /脏字 (zāngzì) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Chinese Mandarin: 三字經 /三字经 (sānzìjīng) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Chinese Mandarin: 罵人話 /骂人话 (màrénhuà) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Chinese Mandarin: 髒話 /脏话 (zānghuà) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Czech: sprosté slovo — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Czech: nadávka — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Czech: zaklení — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Danish: bandeord — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Danish: ed — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Danish: kraftudtryk — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Dutch: vloek — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Dutch: scheldwoord — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Dutch: krachtterm — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Dutch: verwensing — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Dutch: drieletterwoord — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Esperanto: fivorto — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Finnish: kirosana — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • French: juron — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • French: gros mot — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Galician: xuramento — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Georgian: საგინებელი სიტყვა (saginebeli siṭq̇va) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Georgian: სალანძღავი სიტყვა (salanʒɣavi siṭq̇va) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • German: Schimpfwort — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • German: Fluch — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • German: Kraftausdruck — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Greek: βρισιά (vrisiá) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Hebrew: קְלָלָה (k'lalá) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Hindi: गाली (gālī) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Hungarian: csúnya szó — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Hungarian: káromkodás — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Hungarian: szitok — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Hungarian: szitokszó — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Hungarian: trágárság — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Hungarian: szitkozódás — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Icelandic: blótsyrði — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Indonesian: kata makian — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Indonesian: makian — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Indonesian: umpatan — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Indonesian: kata-kata kasar — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Ingrian: kerosana — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Irish: eascaine — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Irish: mionn mór — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Irish: tiomna — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Irish: crístín — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Irish: diairmín — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Italian: parolaccia — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Japanese: 卑語 (higo) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Japanese: 罵り言葉 (nonoshiri kotoba) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Javanese: pisuhan — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Kapampangan: panagkas — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Korean: 비어 (bieo) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Korean: 욕설 (yokseol) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Korean: 욕 (yok) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Korean: 악담 (akdam) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Korean: 저주 (jeoju) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Northern Kurdish: sixêf — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Northern Kurdish: dijûn — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Northern Kurdish: dijmîn — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Northern Kurdish: xeber — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Northern Kurdish: çêrr — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Northern Kurdish: zêf — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Northern Kurdish: zêv — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Northern Kurdish: mirqî — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Northern Kurdish: kufrî — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Latvian: lamuvārds — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Macedonian: пцост (pcost) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Macedonian: пцовка (pcovka) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Malay: kata makian — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Malay: makian — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Malayalam: തെറി (teṟi) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Māori: kohukohu — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kraftuttrykk — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Norwegian Bokmål: banneord — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ed — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: bannord — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Persian: فُحْش (fohš) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Persian: دُشْنام (došnâm) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Plautdietsch: Schempwuat — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Polish: przekleństwo — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Portuguese: palavrão — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Portuguese: nome feio — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Romanian: înjurătură — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Russian: руга́тельство (rugátelʹstvo) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Russian: руга́тельное сло́во (rugátelʹnoje slóvo) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Russian: неприли́чное сло́во (neprilíčnoje slóvo) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Russian: бра́нное сло́во (bránnoje slóvo) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Russian: сло́во из трёх бу́кв (slóvo iz trjox búkv) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Russian: сло́во на три бу́квы (slóvo na tri búkvy) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Russian: трёхэта́жное сло́во (trjoxɛtážnoje slóvo) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Russian: матю́к (matjúk) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Russian: матю́г (matjúg) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Serbo-Croatian: псо̑вка — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Serbo-Croatian: по̏грда — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Serbo-Croatian: psȏvka — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Serbo-Croatian: pȍgrda — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Slovak: nadávka — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Slovene: psovka — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Lower Sorbian: gódło — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Upper Sorbian: wudmo — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Spanish: palabrota — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Spanish: garabato — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Spanish: grosería — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Spanish: lisura — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Spanish: mala palabra — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Spanish: taco — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Spanish: palabro — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Spanish: ordinariez — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Spanish: improperio — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Swedish: svordom — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Swedish: svärord — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Swedish: kraftuttryck — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Tagalog: alpog — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Tagalog: mura — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Tajik: дашном (dašnom) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Tajik: фӯҳш (fühš) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Tajik: ҳақорат (haqorat) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Tamil: கெட்ட வார்த்தை (keṭṭa vārttai) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Telugu: తిట్టు (tiṭṭu) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Telugu: బూతు (būtu) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Thai: คําสบถ — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Turkish: küfür — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Ottoman Turkish: كفر (küfr) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Ukrainian: лайли́ве сло́во (lajlýve slóvo) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Ukrainian: матю́к (matjúk) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Ukrainian: ла́йка (lájka) — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Welsh: llw — obscene or offensive vulgar word
  • Yoruba: èpè — obscene or offensive vulgar word