Raunchiness

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɔːn(t)ʃɪnəs/

Definitions

1. The characteristic of being sensually provocative or indecent, especially through crude and suggestive behavior or language
2. A quality marked by a lack of refinement, often displayed through lewd humor or sexually explicit content
3. The quality of being offensively explicit or coarse in a sexual way

Etymology: Raunchiness is a plain formation: the adjective "raunchy" plus the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality. The suffix has a long pedigree, descending through Old English "-nes" and Middle English "-nesse" from a Proto-Germanic ancestor that also gave English many of its everyday abstract nouns, such as "happiness" and "kindness." Attaching it to "raunchy" simply names the state of being raunchy. What is clear is that "raunchiness" is a modern coinage built from that base and an ancient, productive suffix, so its meaning follows directly from the adjective: a quality of sexual coarseness or explicitness that is blunt enough to offend.

Synonyms: vulgarity, coarseness, lewdness, obscenity, crudeness

Antonyms: refinement, decency, purity, grace, elegance