What does bawdry mean?
Bawdry is a noun referring to obscene or lewd language and behaviour — coarse, sexually explicit talk or conduct of the kind often called ribaldry. It is closely related to the adjective 'bawdy', which describes jokes, songs, or writing that treat sexual matters in a humorous or indecent way. In modern English 'bawdry' sounds somewhat old-fashioned or literary, and many speakers prefer alternatives such as 'bawdiness', 'smut', or 'lewdness'; nonetheless it remains useful when discussing the history of comedy and literature, where critics routinely note the bawdry running through Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Restoration drama. The word derives from 'bawd', an older term for a person who procures others for prostitution. Its connotations range from playful, earthy humour in literary criticism to outright censure in moral commentary, so register and context matter: describing a play as full of bawdry can be either a wry observation or a complaint, depending on the speaker's stance.
nounObscene or lewd talk, writing, or behaviour; ribald language or conduct.
- Obscene, lewd, or ribald talk or language.
- Lewd or indecent behaviour or conduct.
"The play was cut from the festival programme because of its persistent bawdry."
"The comedian's set leaned heavily on bawdry, drawing both roars of laughter and a few walkouts."
"Victorian editors dutifully expunged every trace of bawdry from their editions of earlier poets."
Rarely used; the noun is typically uncountable or treated as singular in reference to lewd matter collectively.
"The censor's report catalogued the play's various bawdries in exhaustive detail."
Before there was 'smut talk', Shakespeare's audience simply called it bawdry — and his plays are stuffed with it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bawdry
Bawdry derives from the Middle English word 'bawde' (modern 'bawd'), meaning a procurer or keeper of a brothel, which itself likely came via Old French from a Germanic root. The suffix '-ry' forms nouns denoting practice or behaviour (compare 'knavery'), so bawdry literally means the conduct characteristic of a bawd. It has been used since at least the early modern period to mean lewd speech and behaviour generally, extending beyond its original association with procuring.
How bawdry is actually used
'Bawdry' is somewhat archaic and literary today; speakers more often reach for 'bawdiness' or 'lewdness'. It carries a disapproving or censorious tone when used by critics, though writers discussing older literature may use it neutrally to describe ribald content.
Easily confused with bawdry
'Bawdy' is an adjective meaning lewd or humorous about sexual matters, whereas 'bawdry' is the noun denoting such lewd talk or behaviour itself.
'Baudery' is a rare archaic variant spelling of 'bawdry', while modern usage standardises on 'bawdry' for lewd speech or conduct.