ANTIRELIGIOUS Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

antireligious

adjective

Definition of antireligious

as in irreligious

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for antireligious

Adjective

Because materialism had an irreligious connotation, Hattem says it was left out of the national conversation until the Gilded Age of the 1920s, when people start saying the quiet part out loud.

— Cari Shane, USA Today, 25 June 2026
This story is told by an unnamed narrator, an irreligious woman who has joined the nuns as a lay resident after her faith in environmental advocacy crumbled.

— Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026

Definition of irreligious

Adjective

Up to that point, America’s external enemy—the godless Soviets—gave the movement coherence and urgency.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026
Sometimes this was committed to good, such as the Marshall Plan and the Peace Corps, and sometimes to ill, as in a series of military blunders meant to quash godless Communism.

— Jim Rasenberger, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026

Definition of godless

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

Before that, the monarchy had promoted a more secular and westernized image of women.

— Tim Lister, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
Whether to use the stations is a private choice, and any individual may use the facilities for either a secular or religious purpose.

— Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of secular

Adjective

The image of him, his attire a blasphemous betrayal of the wholesome fun a clown costume promises, and with vibrant, colorful balloons in his hand, lingers in our minds for a long time.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026
But when The Satanic Verses was published in 1988, the novel was declared by some as blasphemous, and then-Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa for Rushdie to be assassinated, leading the author to go into hiding until 1998.

— Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of blasphemous

Adjective

The heart-palpitating rhythms and glitchy stutters suggest some unholy mix of early Plastikman and Mark Fell, the vestiges of ’90s dance music reanimated into a herky-jerky Frankenstein’s monster.

— Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 4 Aug. 2026
As Russia and Iran deepen their unholy alliance, Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in the Mideast cannot be viewed as separate and isolated problems.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 30 July 2026

Definition of unholy

Adjective

And as Maruša pushes back her departure again and again, Alja’s behavior becomes more erratic — dark and deeply sad revelations that Menart tempers with a delicately irreverent sense of humor.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026
Jack in the Box has some of the same ingredients — an irreverent brand voice, a broad menu and a willingness to experiment — but needs to turn them into a more coherent proposition.

— Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of irreverent

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Browse Nearby Words

antireform

antireligious

antirepublican

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“Antireligious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antireligious. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of antireligious

adjective

Example Sentences

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