obscenity

An obscenity is something indecent, or simply a foul word. The word covers both the category and the individual swear word.

Law has struggled with it for two centuries, since obscenity laws require somebody to define what is obscene, and the definitions have shifted with every generation. The everyday use is plainer, so shouting obscenities means swearing loudly. There is a strong moral use, since calling a situation an obscenity means it is a scandal, and that is how the word appears in political writing. The adjective is obscene.