irreverent

adjective

ir·​rev·​er·​ent i-ˈre-v(ə-)rənt 

ˌi(r)-, 

-ˈre-vərnt

: lacking proper respect or seriousness

also : satiric

irreverently adverb

Synonyms of irreverent

• atheistic
• secular
• blasphemous
• sacrilegious
• impious
• profane
• pagan

Examples of irreverent in a Sentence

He has a delightfully irreverent sense of humor.

irreverent behavior during church services

Recent Examples on the Web

Musk has marketed Grok as more fun and irreverent than other chatbots, taking pride in X being a place for free speech. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 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, 6 Jan. 2026

In a career-spanning conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Jackson looks back on turning the hapless, irreverent, yet utterly sincere broadcast journalist Perd Hapley into a fan-favorite recurring character. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Dec. 2025

The 2011 cult Christmas flick is filled with all the outrageous, irreverent humor fans have come to expect from the duo, with a side of touching friendship moments and franchise staple Neil Patrick Harris. —Lydia Price, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin irreverent-, irreverens, from in- + reverent-, reverens reverent

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for irreverent

• reverent

Kids Definition

irreverent

adjective

ir·​rev·​er·​ent (ˈ)ir-ˈ(r)ev-(ə-)rənt 

-ərnt

: showing lack of reverence

irreverent joking and giggling in church

irreverence

-ˈ(r)ev-(ə-)rən(t)s, 

-ˈ(r)ev-ərn(t)s

noun

irreverently adverb