dirty word
dirty word — 名詞
1. A word that describes sexual acts or body parts and is considered rude, shocking
髒話
與性有關的冒犯詞語
A word that describes sexual acts or body parts and is considered rude, shocking, or insulting by most people.
Liam's grandmother walked out of the room when she heard him use that dirty word.
Liam 的祖母聽到他說那句髒話時，直接走出了房間。
dirty word used as a taboo term
The teacher told the students that no dirty words are allowed in their essays.
老師告訴學生們，作文中不准出現任何髒話。
Sivan was shocked to hear a dirty word come out of the small child's mouth.
聽到那個小孩口中說出髒話，Sivan 嚇了一跳。
The movie studio edited out every dirty word before the film could air on public television.
電影公司刪掉了每一句髒話，影片才能在公共電視上播出。
Paloma explained to her young son that a dirty word is a word that can hurt other people's feelings.
Paloma 向她年幼的兒子解釋，髒話就是會傷害別人感受的用詞。
- swear word
more general term for any profane or taboo expression
- curse word
slightly stronger in connotation, often implies the word is used to express anger
- profanity
formal and uncountable; refers to the category rather than a single word
- obscenity
formal; can also refer to images or gestures, not only words
- clean language
language that avoids offensive or taboo terms
用法筆記
Often used in the context of media censorship, parenting, or classroom rules. Frequently appears with verbs like 'use', 'say', 'hear', 'remove', or 'edit out'.
常見錯誤
2. A subject, idea, or expression that a particular group of people strongly disapp
禁忌話題
被視為不道德的主題
A subject, idea, or expression that a particular group of people strongly disapprove of or consider morally unacceptable.
In that conservative household, the word 'divorce' was a dirty word nobody dared to mention.
在那個保守的家庭裡，「離婚」這個詞是沒人敢提的禁忌話題。
[noun] + be + a dirty word — equating the term with a taboo
For many environmental activists, 'single-use plastic' has become a dirty word.
對許多環保人士來說，「一次性塑膠」已經成了禁忌話題。
Aarav grew up believing that the word 'greed' was a dirty word in his family.
Aarav 從小就認為「貪婪」這個詞在他們家是禁忌話題。
Mei's parents treated the word 'failure' as a dirty word and never used it at home.
Mei 的父母把「失敗」這個詞當作禁忌話題，在家裡從來不提。
The minister claimed that 'tax cut' was not a dirty word and defended the policy.
那位部長宣稱「減稅」不是禁忌話題，並為這項政策辯護。
- taboo
broader term for any prohibited practice, behaviour, or subject
- forbidden topic
more explicit about the rule against discussing it
- acceptable topic
a subject that is freely discussed
- household word
a term that is familiar and accepted everywhere
用法筆記
Unlike sense 1 (sexual swear words), this sense does not involve actual profanity — it is about the social or moral disapproval of a concept. Typically appears in the construction '[subject] + is/was/became + a dirty word'.
常見錯誤
3. A word, expression, or idea that is strongly disliked or opposed within a specif
忌諱用語
在特定場合不受歡迎
A word, expression, or idea that is strongly disliked or opposed within a specific group, profession, or situation, without necessarily being offensive or immoral.
Among serious wine collectors, the phrase 'screw cap' used to be a dirty word.
在講究的葡萄酒收藏家之間，「旋蓋」這個詞曾經是忌諱用語。
used to be a dirty word — past acceptance shift
In the world of high fashion, the word 'comfortable' can sometimes be a dirty word.
在精品時尚圈裡，「舒適」這個詞有時竟是忌諱用語。
For dedicated cyclists, the word 'car' is almost a dirty word when discussing city commuting.
對死忠的自行車通勤族來說，提到城市通勤時「汽車」幾乎是忌諱用語。
Zayd noticed that among his artist friends, the word 'commercial' was treated as a dirty word.
Zayd 發現，在他的藝術家朋友之間，「商業化」被當作忌諱用語。
In the fast-growing startup, the word 'slow' became a dirty word that no one wanted to hear.
在那間快速成長的新創公司裡，「慢」成了沒人想聽的忌諱用語。
- pet peeve
colloquial; refers to something that annoys a person, not a term itself
- bête noire
formal; describes a person or thing that is especially disliked
- buzzword
a term that is popular and fashionable in a particular context
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: sense 3 is about dislike or opposition within a specific context (not morally charged), whereas sense 2 implies moral disapproval by a broader community.