crudity

noun

cru·​di·​ty ˈkrü-də-tē How to pronounce crudity (audio)
plural crudities
1
: the quality or state of being crude
2
: something that is crude

Examples of crudity in a Sentence

the crudity of the drawing The movie's crudities were supposed to be funny, but they didn't make me laugh.
Recent Examples on the Web And, while its crudity is certainly purposeful, its sense of purpose can be elusive at times. Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 28 Mar. 2023 Although Günther Groissböck cleaned up better than the usual Ochs, his portrayal lacked nothing for crudity. Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 30 Mar. 2023 The crudity is part of the point. Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2022 Whatever the case, the density of his crudity and the planetary scale of his vanity have pulled a whole wobbling system entirely out of alignment and forced it into a chaotic new order; every satellite is now pinned into a decaying orbit around this collapsing star. David Roth, The New Republic, 27 Oct. 2020 Intelligent management of the pandemic was always going to involve restrictions, but the resort to the heavy-handed command-and-control of Cuomo and de Blasio showed few signs of intelligence and revealed a management style notable mainly for its crudity. Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 2 Oct. 2020 The crudity of superficial intimacy would make what goes on between them inconsequential. Marisa Silver, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2022 During scenes at the duke’s palace, Rigoletto’s sneering crudity barely masked his hatred for the court. New York Times, 2 Jan. 2022 Today’s targeting of successful Asian-American kids lacks the crudity of a Jim Crow lunch counter or a whites-only drinking fountain. William McGurn, WSJ, 12 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crudity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of crudity was in 1547

Dictionary Entries Near crudity

Cite this Entry

“Crudity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crudity. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

crudity

noun
cru·​di·​ty ˈkrüd-ət-ē How to pronounce crudity (audio)
plural crudities
1
: the quality or state of being crude
2
: something that is crude

More from Merriam-Webster on crudity

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!