What is obscene speech?
Asked by: Ariel Mertz | Last update: September 22, 2025Score: 4.7/5 (57 votes)
Obscenity is a category of speech that is unprotected by the First Amendment's Freedom of Speech and Expression protections. Obscenity laws are concerned with prohibiting lewd, or extremely offensive words or pictures in public.
What is an example of obscene?
Examples of obscene in a Sentence
He was accused of making obscene phone calls. He made an obscene gesture at the driver who cut him off. The company's executives earn obscene salaries. He spends an obscene amount of money on clothes.
What are the rules for obscene speech?
Obscenity is a narrow category of unprotected expression that meets all of the following criteria: (a) the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest; (b) the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual ...
What is considered an obscene language?
These include sexual vulgarities, other “dirty words”, political labels, ethnic slurs, insulting terms, and religious blasphemies. Obscene-to-naughty words and phrases can be classified into two main categories: profanities and vulgarities. Derivative uses of obscenity are discussed.
What is considered obscene behavior?
The word "obscene" where it appears in this article shall mean that which, considered as a whole, has as its dominant theme or purpose an appeal to the prurient interest in sex, that is, a shameful or morbid interest in nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, excretory functions or products thereof or ...
Obscene Speech and the 1st Amendment
What is an example of inappropriate behavior?
Forceful and targeted yelling or swearing ● Sarcasm, insults, or minor intimidation in the attempt to bully or coerce such as making unreasonable demands, not accepting outcomes of decisions or service, not allowing employees to speak or respond, or making derogatory comments such as threats to an employee's job or ...
What is obscene communications?
(a) a letter, electronic communication, or article of any description which conveys: a message which is indecent or grossly offensive; a threat; or information which is false and known or believed to be false by the sender; or (b) any article or electronic communication which is, in whole or part, of an indecent or ...
What part of speech is obscene?
adjective. offensive or outrageous to accepted standards of decency or modesty.
Is cursing obscene?
Profanity may be considered sacrilegious, vulgar, or obscene, but not all sacrilegious, vulgar, or obscene language is profanity. The words considered profane are not merely offensive due to their meaning but are considered taboo in and of themselves.
What are profanity words?
Profanity is a type of language that includes dirty words and ideas. Swear words, obscene gestures, and naughty jokes are all considered profanity. You know those four-letter words you're not supposed to say? They're profanity: language that's vulgar and obscene.
What type of speech is illegal?
The following speech may not be protected: Speech that is intended and likely to provoke imminent unlawful action (“incitement”). Statements where the speaker means to communicate a serious expression of an intent to commit an act of unlawful violence to a particular individual or group of individuals (“true threats”).
What is the difference between indecent and obscene speech?
Such sexually suggestive or explicit materials can be generally split into three categories: – Obscenity: This category is so offensive that is deserves and receives no First Amendment protection. It can be regulated or outlawed at the will of the states. – Indecency: This category is “less offensive” than obscenity.
Can you swear on TV after 10pm?
Indecent and profane content are prohibited on broadcast TV and radio between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., when there is a reasonable risk that children may be in the audience. What about cable, satellite TV and satellite radio?
What speech is considered obscene?
Obscenity is a category of speech that is unprotected by the First Amendment's Freedom of Speech and Expression protections. Obscenity laws are concerned with prohibiting lewd, or extremely offensive words or pictures in public.
What is the meaning of obscene talk?
Obscene describes something that is morally offensive in a sexual way. It's never a good idea to use obscene language at school. Certain films, books, magazines, and other forms of entertainment are considered obscene because they portray sex in a very frank way that some people find vulgar and lewd.
What is an example of inappropriate content?
Inappropriate content may include: sexually explicit material • false or misleading information • violence • extremism or terrorism • hateful or offensive material. The exposure of young people to inappropriate content is difficult to measure because many instances go unreported.
Can you say the F word on TV?
Because obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment, it is prohibited on cable, satellite and broadcast TV and radio. However, the same rules for indecency and profanity do not apply to cable, satellite TV and satellite radio because they are subscription services.
Is saying the f word a sin?
1 Peter 3:10 tells us that "whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech." God commands us to keep our tongue from all obscene words, filthy and corrupt communication, lying, swearing, cursing, and any evil speech.
Can you go to jail for saying bad words?
A person can face disorderly conduct or breach of peace charges for using offensive, abusive, or obscene language that is threatening or likely to provoke or incite immediate violence.
What are obscene words?
Some common synonyms of obscene are coarse, gross, ribald, and vulgar. While all these words mean "offensive to good taste or morals," obscene applies to anything strongly repulsive to the sense of decency and propriety especially in sexual matters.
What part of speech is banned?
verb (used with object)
banned, banning. to prohibit, forbid, or bar; interdict: to ban nuclear weapons; The dictator banned all newspapers and books that criticized his regime.
What part of speech is unacceptable?
The adjective unacceptable adds the "not" prefix un- to acceptable, "suitable, adequate, or pleasing." We can trace the roots back to the Latin acceptare, "take or receive willingly."
What is an example of obscene behavior?
Obscene behavior means any physical activity of the human body, whether carried out alone or with other persons, including, but not limited to singing, talking, dancing, acting, pretending, or pantomiming which, as a whole, is considered by the average person and according to contemporary community standards to appeal ...
What is indecent speech?
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) defines indecent speech as material that, in context, depicts or describes sexual or excretory organs or activities in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium.
What is the difference between obscenity and profanity?
Vulgarity is a lesser form of obscenity, involving what is considered common or base by another class, while profanity is that which "trivializes" the sacred. Something that is considered in bad taste by one group may nonetheless contribute to realist fiction.