irreligious

adjective

ir·​re·​li·​gious ˌir-i-ˈli-jəs 

1

: neglectful of religion : lacking religious emotions, doctrines, or practices

so irreligious that they exploit popular religion for professional purposes

—G. B. Shaw

2

: indicating lack of religion

irreligiously adverb

Synonyms

• atheistical
• atheistic
• godless
• nonreligious
• pagan

Examples of irreligious in a Sentence

raised in an irreligious family where the subject of God was never even discussed

Recent Examples on the Web

Silverstein had a much different experience growing up, given the fact that his parents were both Baalei teshuva (irreligious Jews who become more observant later in life). —Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025

Finishing off the top 5 is religious flick The Forge with an irreligious weekend take-home of $6.6. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2024

Ephraim — ambitious, socialist and irreligious — takes his family to Riga, Latvia, to Palestine and finally to France. —Lauren Elkin, Washington Post, 16 May 2023

Conservative religiosity is of course not a requirement for autocracy – just look at the previous era of Russian autocracy, which was decidedly irreligious. —Jill Filipovic, CNN, 21 Feb. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for irreligious

• interreligious
• litigious
• prestigious
• prodigious
• religious
• nonreligious

Kids Definition

irreligious

adjective

ir·​re·​li·​gious ˌir-i-ˈlij-əs 

: lacking religious emotions, principles, or practices

irreligiously adverb