anti-religious

adjective

an·​ti-re·​li·​gious ˌan-tē-ri-ˈli-jəs How to pronounce anti-religious (audio)
ˌan-tī-
: opposing or hostile to religion or to the power and influence of organized religion
an anti-religious bias
… an unfinished forum for religious, anti-religious and political orators …George Bernard Shaw

Examples of anti-religious in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
His son, her father, wrote and disseminated anti-religious propaganda. Andrew Fedorov, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025 The September attack at a Michigan church in which a gunman opened fire and set the building ablaze was motivated by anti-religious beliefs, the FBI announced Friday. Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 31 Oct. 2025 There was widespread speculation that the shooter at the Covenant School, who had previously been a student there, was motivated by anti-religious resentment. Grace Byron, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025 The Tenth Circuit’s decision allows the state’s anti-religious gamesmanship to continue. Anne Schimke, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2025 Because of its associations with the church, this music was ideologically fraught in an anti-religious Soviet Estonia. Jeffers Engelhardt, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025 Last year’s Heretic is the latest — a chilling A24 horror directed by Bryan Woods and Scott Beck in which Grant stars as an anti-religious murderer. Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 8 Mar. 2025 The office will be part of the Domestic Policy Council and headed by a senior adviser tasked with consulting with various faith and community leaders in an effort to defend religious liberty and combat antisemitism, anti-Christianity and other anti-religious bias, according to the order. Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 7 Feb. 2025 Sixth, through an executive order on Monday, Trump fulfilled his commitment to reinstate service members harmed by anti-religious hostility. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anti-religious was in 1711

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Cite this Entry

“Anti-religious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-religious. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.

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