pagan 1 of 2

noun

ˈpā-gən How to pronounce pagan (audio)
Definition of pagannext
as in gentile
a person who does not worship the God of the Bible the temple was built by pagans in the 4th century as a place to worship their idols

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

pagan

2 of 2

adjective

as in secular

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pagan
Noun
Sometimes he was described as a modern-day Cyrus, a Persian king and a pagan in the Hebrew Bible whom God nevertheless anointed and would use for his purposes. — Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026 Why would pagans want a coin with a Christian on it? — Sarah Durn, Popular Science, 8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
There’s more than a tinge of folk horror to this lingering mystery, which brings to mind the 1973 genre landmark The Wicker Man, in which a puritanical police officer travels to a remote island community that’s reverted to old pagan ways. — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 15 June 2026 Glenn Turner, the former owner of a pagan and metaphysical shop, is running as a member of the Green Party. — Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for pagan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pagan
  1. gentile
  2. secular
  3. atheist
  4. godless
  5. atheistic
  6. irreligious
  7. nonreligious
Noun
  • Since 1998, the program has both grown alongside and influenced the growth of interest in Yiddish language and culture from a wide swath of society, Jew and gentile, young and old, religious and secular alike.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • From there, the beef between the two couples runs the gamut from faux-gentile to downright nasty.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026
Definition of gentile
Adjective
  • Ripert eventually translated these lessons into a secular book for professional chefs and home cooks alike.
    — Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The Middle East has already experimented with Arab nationalism, state socialism, secular authoritarianism, monarchy, military rule, and political Islam.
    — Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of secular
Noun
  • According to the Pew Research Center, 29% of Americans have no religion, but only 5% call themselves atheists.
    — Ruiqian Li, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The list no longer includes atheists, Unitarian Universalists, pagans and Wiccans.
    — Tiffany Stanley, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of atheist
Adjective
  • Up to that point, America’s external enemy—the godless Soviets—gave the movement coherence and urgency.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Sometimes this was committed to good, such as the Marshall Plan and the Peace Corps, and sometimes to ill, as in a series of military blunders meant to quash godless Communism.
    — Jim Rasenberger, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026
Definition of godless
Adjective
  • His father's death during World War II influenced his pursuit of the ministry even amid the officially atheistic communist regime of the Soviet Union, according to his obituary on the OCU website.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
  • But there has been a recent rise in secular congregations that explicitly mimic religious organizations and rituals to celebrate atheistic worldviews.
    — Jacqui Frost, The Conversation, 11 Jan. 2024
Definition of atheistic
Adjective
  • Because materialism had an irreligious connotation, Hattem says it was left out of the national conversation until the Gilded Age of the 1920s, when people start saying the quiet part out loud.
    — Cari Shane, USA Today, 25 June 2026
  • This story is told by an unnamed narrator, an irreligious woman who has joined the nuns as a lay resident after her faith in environmental advocacy crumbled.
    — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of irreligious
Adjective
  • The Plain people are known for their ​caution toward government and other nonreligious authority.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The rivers of people who crammed central Paris and their joyful enthusiasm rivaled other communal, though nonreligious, moments of celebration that marked France in recent decades.
    — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of nonreligious

Browse Nearby Words

paeans
pagan
paganish
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pagan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pagan. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on pagan

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pagan

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All