profane 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of profanenext
1
as in temporal
not involving religion or religious matters it was hard to juggle the requirements of church and our more profane duties

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Relevance

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2
as in secular
not showing proper reverence for the holy or sacred offended by the profane language that her coworkers used so casually

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society his idea of dinner table conversation is the telling of profane stories about his alleged sexual exploits

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

profane

2 of 2

verb

prō-ˈfān How to pronounce profane (audio)
1
as in to corrupt
to lower in character, dignity, or quality the once-lovely landscape had been profaned by ugly factories

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2
as in to misuse
to put to a bad or improper use profaned his considerable acting talents by appearing in some wretched movies

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3
as in to violate
to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect invading troops profaned the altar by playing poker on it

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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 profane
Adjective
But the school’s dress code prohibits messages that are lewd, indecent, vulgar or profane. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026 While his exhortation left off Brady’s signature profane intensifier, the motivational gambit remained explicit even in the absence of the familiar F-bomb. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 31 July 2026
Verb
At the risk of profaning a wonderful show, the second season is even better. — John Anderson, wsj.com, 4 Apr. 2023 Sean Delahanty, who was colorful, outspoken and sometimes profane in 20 years on Jefferson District Court, has died. — Andrew Wolfson, The Courier-Journal, 28 Jan. 2023 See All Example Sentences for profane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profane
  1. temporal
  2. secular
  3. obscene
  4. corrupt
  5. misuse
  6. violate
  7. physical
  8. atheistic
Adjective
  • The happy faces lit up their temporal cortex and caudate nucleus, which are parts of the brain associated with higher cognitive and reward processing.
    — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The study also establishes Cygnus X-3 as the first ultra-high-energy gamma-ray source known to show temporal variability.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of temporal
Adjective
  • Treasuries were more than a decade into a massive secular bull market as the '90s bubble inflated.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Sunita Viswanath, executive director of Hindus for Human Rights, said her group is one of 61 interfaith and secular organizations that signed an open letter protesting Saturday’s event.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of secular
Adjective
  • More than 3,000 shows and a sizable cult following later, The Dark Room has evolved into a choose-your-own-adventure live action video game, presided over by Robertson as its obscene, merciless and incredibly quick-witted host.
    — Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The law is aimed at prohibiting children from obtaining books and movies with obscene content.
    — Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of obscene
Verb
  • Instead, in trying to explain what made both Murdoch and Lamb tick in those early days, Boyle and Graham show us just how intoxicating and corrupting this kind of success can be.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • There, Prue must go on a journey to save her younger brother Mac from crows led by a woman named Alexandra (Carey Mulligan), who captures Curtis and attempts to corrupt him for her own mysterious purposes.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of corrupt
Verb
  • In the four-page letter, LeVota accused Garza of misusing county resources and trying to build a lawsuit against him before offering her a separation agreement.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
  • In Sarasota in August, a police officer was charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor for misusing the license plate reader system.
    — Ana Goñi-Lessan, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of misuse
Verb
  • In its March 9 lawsuit, Anthropic alleged the government violated its right to free speech under the First Amendment to the Constitution by retaliating against its views on AI safety.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The administration is appealing a June ruling by a lower court that the ban probably violated the troops’ constitutional rights and cannot be enforced against those currently serving while the litigation continues.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of violate
Adjective
  • If physical gestures serve our relatives just fine, why did our own branch of the family tree gradually favor biological changes in our brains and anatomy that permitted our characteristic complexities in language and precision in speech?
    — Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
  • His best explanations for this are pressure from shareholders to prioritize immediate returns over long-term investments, and years of obsession with digital that came at the expense of physical retail.
    — Hilary Milnes, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of physical
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

Browse Nearby Words

profanatory
profane
profaned
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Cite this Entry

“Profane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profane. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on profane

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about profane

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