four-letter word
Censored crude oath
A four-letter word is a short vulgar or obscene term, so called because many common English profanities—fuck, shit, cunt, cock—happen to have four letters.
The phrase functions as a euphemism when someone wants to reference taboo language without actually using it: He let loose with a few four-letter words when he hit his thumb.
By extension, any topic someone finds distasteful may be called a four-letter word: Around here, "union" is a four-letter word.
Invoked harm through words
- swearVow or use profanity
- expletiveProfane emotional utterance
- cussSpeak profanely
- obscenityIndecent word or act
vulgarity · blasphemy · slur · epithet · invective · oath · damn · hell
Unpolished, raw state
- coarseRough in texture
- vulgarCrude or indecent
- obsceneGrossly offensive to decency
- foulOffensive or illegal
lewd · raunchy · filthy · smutty · bawdy · ribald · indecent · risque
Causing sudden surprise
- jarringDisturbingly incongruous
- offensiveCausing displeasure or attack-oriented
- crudeUnpolished, raw state
- bluntDull or tactlessly direct
harsh · raw · unfiltered · visceral · provocative · in-your-face · brash · brazen
curse
Invoked harm through words
obscenity · vulgarity · blasphemy · slur · epithet · invective · oath · damn · hell · taboo
crude
Unpolished, raw state
foul · lewd · raunchy · filthy · smutty · bawdy · ribald · indecent · risque · salacious
startling
Causing sudden surprise
- jarringDisturbingly incongruous
- offensiveCausing displeasure or attack-oriented
- crudeUnpolished, raw state
blunt · harsh · raw · unfiltered · visceral · provocative · in-your-face · brash · brazen · bold
crossword
Clue-based letter grid
anagram · letters · spelling · clue · game · vocabulary · wordsmith · lexicon · censored · asterisk
four-letter wordeuphemism
Mild substitute for bluntness
polite expression · clean language · pleasantry · nicety · term of endearment
four-letter wordsweet nothing
Affectionate whispered phrase
blessing · compliment · praise · good word
word, letter, words, four, wording, worded, afterword, reworded, misworded