IRREVERENT Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

irreverent

adjective

i-ˈre-v(ə-)rənt

Definition of irreverent

as in atheistic

not showing proper reverence for the holy or sacred irreverent behavior during church services

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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 irreverent Queen served as a mentor to many young fashion editors in the newsroom, and not only entertained them with her witty and irreverent personality but taught them the ropes of the job. — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 6 July 2026 Try it with casual flip-flops and a knit slung around the waist for off-duty cool; with jelly sandals and a denim jacket for an irreverent twist; or with suede flats and a crisp shirt for understated elegance. — Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 2 July 2026 The series showcased his irreverent sense of humor, which often included racial stereotypes of various minorities. — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026 Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for irreverent

Recent Examples of Synonyms for irreverent

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

But McClintock—secular, skeptical, profoundly unorthodox—wasn’t seeking the holy.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 July 2026
The province’s right to implement Islamic law was granted by Indonesia’s secular central government around 2005 as part of a peace deal to end a separatist insurgency.

— Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026

Definition of secular

Adjective

Many of their performances are blasphemous, and their work only displays hate and mockery of Catholics and the Christian faith.

— Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026
This way of approaching the story would help make its portrait of Jesus all the more human, and, to some, all the more blasphemous.

— Isaac Butler, New Yorker, 30 May 2026

Definition of blasphemous

Adjective

Even the recipe deemed sacrilegious in Carbonaragate cannot evoke the same dramatic reactions or touch the same sensitivities that surround cheese—a relationship that, like wine and bread, is often inseparable from faith, sometimes quite literally.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
In any other context, a house of God smattered with people staring at their phones, trusting AI to speak to them, might feel sacrilegious.

— Andrew R. Chow, Time, 26 May 2026

Definition of sacrilegious

Adjective

Many other traditionalists have made a version of Scruton’s critique, insisting that contemporary art reflects self-indulgent, relativistic, and impious tendencies.

— Luis Parrales, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
While no formal announcement has been made to update its longstanding alcohol ban, Andrew Leber of Tulane University said this is in line with the Kingdom’s past approach to such potentially impious reforms.

— Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025

Definition of impious

Adjective

Crow-Armstrong’s poor offensive start doomed his chance to start, while the bad national publicity stemming from a viral video of his profane reaction to a harassing female White Sox fan probably didn’t help matters.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026
And yet, in their quest for culinary perfection, and as Carmy evaluates his decision to retire, the group pulls together without resorting to the profane, deafening chaos that characterized their previous work, almost entirely thanks to Sydney’s opposite-in-every-way leadership style.

— Jake Kring-Schreifels, Time, 26 June 2026

Definition of profane

Adjective

Solstices are often associated with pagan religions and draw revelers of different faiths.

— Julia Gomez, USA Today, 20 June 2026
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

Definition of pagan

Browse Nearby Words

irreverences

irreverent

irreversible

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“Irreverent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irreverent. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of irreverent

adjective

Example Sentences

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