Is there a word which has this definition:
usage of vulgar or abusive words too often especially while chatting or talking to someone or while giving a speech.
What do you call a person who uses abusive words too often without needing to.
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3The title and definition don't match: do you want a word for the person, or for the action? If you want a word for the person, as suggested by your edit, you should change the definition to say "a person who uses vulgar or abusive words..."– herissonCommented Aug 21, 2016 at 10:03
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3Noun, verb, adjective or adverb? Must it be a single word? "crude", "vulgar", "s/he swears a lot" or "uses vulgar words" are candidates. Most of the one-word answers assume context which is missing here.– smciCommented Aug 22, 2016 at 7:37
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8"Too often" for what? For the social context? For your taste?– mattdmCommented Aug 22, 2016 at 13:51
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Is the person who uses abusive words part supposed to be a separate question? You can be vulgar without being abusive, and vice versa. e.g. It's not vulgar to call someone worthless, but it's very abusive.– Peter CordesCommented Aug 28, 2016 at 6:33
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16 Answers
Two adjectives come to my mind for a person who uses excessive foul language:
1) crass
having or showing no understanding of what is proper or acceptable; rude and insensitive (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crass)
2) vulgar (as you used in the title of your own question)
not having or showing good manners, good taste, or politeness (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vulgar)
Both of these suggestions are more reflective of the person's demeanor or temperament than the cursing itself, but I think they could be more colorful (pun intended) alternatives.
I hope this is helpful to you!
answered Aug 21, 2016 at 10:51
Two excellent choices exist. The first can be used as either an adjective or noun, in slightly different forms:
foulmouth, adj. and n.
B. n.
A foul-mouthed person.
["foulmouth, adj. and n.". OED Online. June 2016. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/73916 (accessed August 21, 2016).]
The adjective 'foulmouth' is obsolete in that form. Instead, the current version is 'foulmouthed':
foul-mouthed, adj.
Of persons and their utterances: Using obscene, profane, or scurrilous language.
["foul-mouthed, adj.". OED Online. June 2016. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/73917 (accessed August 21, 2016).]
The second choice is not so commonly used, and is only found as a noun. However, there's no mistaking its meaning:
muck-spout n. regional and slang a person who uses obscene or foul language.
["muck, n.1". OED Online. June 2016. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/123164?redirectedFrom=muck-spout (accessed August 21, 2016).]
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10I immediately thought of "gutter mouth," which aligns closely with this answer.– GracieCommented Aug 22, 2016 at 12:14
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8Is that latter mostly British English? I've never heard it used in American English before. Commented Aug 22, 2016 at 17:30
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@AdrianLarson: I've never heard it over here. Commented Aug 24, 2016 at 23:32
An alternative to @JEL's answer is the noun
potty-mouth
Dictionary.com. The Dictionary of American Slang. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/potty-mouth (accessed: August 21, 2016)
The corresponding adjective is
potty-mouthed : using or characterized by bad language.
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25To me, this is something I'd expect a young kid to say. It would sound odd coming from an adult.– zzxjoanwCommented Aug 21, 2016 at 11:34
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12perhaps, although i'm not sure i agree 100%. I (as an adult) would consider using it (1) when addressing a child, or (2) in a more language-sensitive environment where something like "foul-mouthed" would be considered inappropriate.– GoHokiesCommented Aug 21, 2016 at 11:46
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9@zzxjoanw To me it wouldn't sound odd coming from an adult, as long as the adult was aware of the association with juveniles and was explicitly or implicitly invoking that connotation. I.e. by using a term associated with young kids, they're mockingly implying that the person being labeled is no better than a young child in their manners. Agreed, though, that it wouldn't be used in a formal register.– R.M.Commented Aug 22, 2016 at 19:21
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7I think part of the point of using this phrase is to point out not only the language used, but your opinion that such usage is juvenile or immature.– barbecueCommented Aug 22, 2016 at 23:51
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9(Agreeing with @barbecue) It might help this answer to add an explanation. The word "potty" means a little chamber pot for very young children; it's also used by and with very young children for "toilet". Calling an adult a "potty-mouth" is demeaning because it insinuates that he or she is acting like a child of that age; it casts you in the role of scolding parent and the other person in the role of naughty child. Commented Aug 23, 2016 at 18:17
I wouldn't call them a single word.
I would say "Barry swears like a sailor".
I could potentially alter it to "swears like a trooper", but people who know one phrase will still understand the other.
This has several advantages over any single word answer I can think of, in that it:
1) Is easily understood and used in many countries. Foreign language speakers will likely even understand if the phrase is translated literally. In fact, Italian even has the same expression Bestemmia come uno scaricatore di porto
2) Doesn't sound childish.
3) Refers specifically to swearing, not to being rude generally.
Crude
This is a polite way of describing someone that swears a lot, e.g. 'Martin is a bit crude, particularly when he has had a few'.
There are more descriptive terms, for instance, someone that uses every opportunity to insult at a personal level (rather than just using four letter words due to a lack of vocabulary) could be deemed to be 'passive-aggressive'. For instance 'Stop being so passive-aggressive!' - this more descriptive term can be more useful if you don't care about the words so much (who hasn't heard them before?) but do not like being insulted.
I would suggest boorish
adjective 1. of or like a boor; unmannered; crude; insensitive.
Profane - common or vulgar.
That's lower on the list of other meanings, but leads to a synonym of obscenity, profanity
I think the best term would be vulgarian:
a vulgar person, especially one whose vulgarity is the more conspicuous because of wealth, prominence, or pretensions to good breeding.
In other words, it is one who is uncharacteristically vulgar given their status, whatever that may be, not necessarily that they're especially wealthy.
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2One can be called a vulgarian even if one never swears, though — it can apply to all sorts of vulgar behaviour. Commented Aug 22, 2016 at 18:25
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This sounds too much like "Bulgarian" to my uncouth American ears. =)– jpmc26Commented Aug 23, 2016 at 23:17
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never heard "vulgarian" before so I don't think its a good choice, unless you're writing a paper at university Commented Aug 24, 2016 at 19:29
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I learned to look for 'root words', so 'vulgarian' would not be very difficult for me to guess. The same goes with 'vegetarian' as 'one who eats vegetables', etc.– John PCommented Aug 24, 2016 at 22:40
Perhaps not as technically accurate, but I've always liked uncouth:
- discourteous, rude, uncivil. See boorish.
... as listed under the Synonyms section of dictionary.com's entry
An anonymous user suggested "couthless" as an alternative - but the online dictionary I use to double-check my thinking didn't list it as a "real" word. (Couth is a real word.) Your mileage may vary.
I would definitely call such a person
salty
From Merriam:
(of language or humor) down-to-earth; coarse. synonyms: earthy, colorful, spicy, racy, risqué, naughty, vulgar, rude; More
Is there a word which has this definition:
usage of vulgar or abusive words too often especially while chatting or talking to someone or while giving a speech.
Yes. Salty.
What do you call a person who uses abusive words too often without needing to.
You can call a person 'salty', but they wouldn't be 'a salty' or anything like that. It's just used as an adjective, but this is particularly a good description of someone who uses vulgarity, and someone who simply just is a little vulgar.
I don't know if there really is a connection, but there's a term "cusses like a sailor". Sailors have a stereotype, wrong or right (probably more historically) for using bad language. When I think of salty, I think of salty air, or salt water which reminds me of this phrase or some connection thereof.
It's possible that 'salty' does also have a historical reference to sailors in this regard as well, e.g. 'salty like a sailor'.
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1This is a decent answer, but salty doesn't convey a strongly negative feeling, it's more neutral or even tolerant. If the goal is to say the person's language is completely unacceptable, this might not work. It would be good for describing inappropriate language that you are willing to tolerate.– barbecueCommented Aug 22, 2016 at 23:58
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1@barbecue I completely understand what you're saying. I did not, however get the impression that the question was about being overly vulgar, just that there was too much vulgarity for the person's taste or appetite. I think, as most people do, any vulgarity should be highly filtered, so a salty person will probably be overly vulgar. In other words, I think what is salty to me would be overly vulgar too many. I consider Amy Schumer to be salty. But in practical terms, she's really quite vulgar. But I am in agreement ultimately. Saying that someone is salty is a quite nice way of putting it.– JohnCommented Aug 23, 2016 at 0:38
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I guess what I'm saying is, if the person is really upsetting you, salty may not convey the right sense. On the other hand, if you want to convey that you consider the person's language inappropriate, but in a more lighthearted, even affectionate manner, salty is perfect. I did upvote you BTW.– barbecueCommented Aug 23, 2016 at 0:41
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@barbecue, I amended my comment, it really can be a very friendly way of saying it while actually being quite turned off by the language. Indeed.– JohnCommented Aug 23, 2016 at 0:43
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I regularly hear "salty" used alone in the context of an irritable person (perhaps derived from "rubbing salt in a wound") without the implication of any foul language being used. This could just be a regional thing, though. "Salty language," however, is used by the same people to refer in a relatively less offensive way to vulgar or foul language. Commented Aug 23, 2016 at 21:20
A medical term for people that use excessive obscene language would be coprolalic.
Coprolalia — M-W
noun 1. obsessive or uncontrollable use of obscene language
From What’s the difference between cussing, swearing, and cursing?, cuss is:
an American alteration of curse, and its meaning “to say bad words” was first recorded in 1815
and the adjective form cussing exists. The person him/herself is called a cusser (from @GoHokies).
Profanity is the act of using swear words, but profane does not seem to be usable in modern language with the meaning you are looking for.
answered Aug 21, 2016 at 9:50
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I would go for brash.
brash (adjective) : Source Merriam-Webster
self-assertive in a rude, noisy, or overbearing way.
"gross", unrefined and "impolite" come to mind.
"gross" - (adj) - 6. crudely vulgar, unrefined. MW
"unrefined" (adj) - not showing good education and polite manners.
"impolite" (adj) - rude (He made some impolite comments)
These adjectives, however, are not specific for speech and you can be gross, unrefined or impolite without ever uttering a word. "foul-mouthed", already mentioned by JEL in their answer, sounds like the best choice.
answered Aug 24, 2016 at 16:23
If you're from the UK, or a TOWIE fan, you'd probably call that person an Essex girl
- We swear quite a lot. It's because we're 'colourful,' OK?