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What is the most apt word to describe sexual humour in a movie?

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    In addition to Bawdy and risqué that JLG has offered (which I think are fine words) there is simply the term adult humor which usually means sexual and always means not suitable for kids.
    – Jim
    Commented Sep 24, 2012 at 3:46
  • See also Adult Swim.
    – Patrick M
    Commented Sep 5, 2014 at 16:58

2 Answers 2

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Bawdy means "(of language, plays, etc.) containing references to sex, especially to be humorous."

Or if the film being described is a little more risqué, there is ribald, which means "coarse, obscene, or licentious, usually in a humorous or mocking way."

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    Then, too, there's "blue".
    – user21497
    Commented Sep 24, 2012 at 4:44
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    @Bill In the northeast US, blue includes both sexual humor and non-sexual language, such as obscenities, that is not appropriate for formal situations. Blue would be a lot less specific than bawdy. It may be different where you are though.
    – Kit Z. Fox
    Commented Sep 24, 2012 at 12:54
  • @KitFox♦: I'm in Taiwan but from the NE USA. When I think of "blue" humor, I think of bluenosed Puritans, who are always frowning at anything sexual, but you're right about it being broader than bawdy. "Obscenity" according to M-W: "Related to OBSCENITY: Synonyms: bawdiness, blueness, coarseness, crudeness, crudity, dirt, dirtiness, filth, filthiness, foulness, grossness, impureness, impurity, indecency, lasciviousness, lewdness, nastiness, profanity, raunch, raunchiness, ribaldry, smut, smuttiness, vulgarity, wantonness". Scatological & sexual language.
    – user21497
    Commented Sep 24, 2012 at 13:03
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Ribald, if referring to sexual humor being used in a crude or irreverent manner, Look it up. However with America's decline in education, people might not know what it means.

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    This is mentioned in JLG's answer above: "Or if the film being described is a little more risqué, there is ribald, which means 'coarse, obscene, or licentious, usually in a humorous or mocking way.' "
    – herisson
    Commented Dec 5, 2015 at 15:13

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