profaned; profaning
1
: to treat (something sacred) with abuse, irreverence, or contempt : desecrate
2
: to debase by a wrong, unworthy, or vulgar use
profaner
noun
1
: not concerned with religion or religious purposes : secular
2
: not holy because unconsecrated, impure, or defiled : unsanctified
3
a
: serving to debase or defile what is holy : irreverent
4
a
: not being among the initiated
b
: not possessing esoteric or expert knowledge
profanely
adverb
Examples of profane in a Sentence
Verb
the once-lovely landscape had been profaned by ugly factories
profaned his considerable acting talents by appearing in some wretched movies
Adjective
it was hard to juggle the requirements of church and our more profane duties
offended by the profane language that her coworkers used so casually
Recent Examples on the Web
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
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
See All Example Sentences for profane
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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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
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
See All Example Sentences for profane
Cite this Entry
“Profane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profane. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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