vulgarism

Noun

vulgarism (countable and uncountable, plural vulgarisms)

1. Vulgarity.
   • Amidst his manuscript notes for Democratic Vistas he [Walt Whitman] wrote himself a reminder to "offset the statement of depravity [and] vulgarism ... of the masses by a full acknowledgment of the latent heroism."Walt Whitman quoted in 1998, Richard J. Ellis, The Dark Side of the Left: Illiberal Egalitarianism in America (page 79)
2. A word or term that is considered offensive or vulgar.
   • "Shit" is a vulgarism.
3. A spelling, word, or phrase used in common speech that is considered improper or incorrect for formal communication.
   • We never descended to the vulgarism of a quarrel. People said that neither of us had a heart, but it appears to me that politeness is an excellent substitute.1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Result”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 233
   • Editors of newspapers allow more vulgarisms to go to print today than they used to.