as in gentile
a person who does not worship the God of the Bible
the temple was built by pagans in the 4th century as a place to worship their idols
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as in secular
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Recent Examples of pagan
Bhumika Tharoor, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025
The crowds, many dressed as druids and pagans, had gathered before dawn, waiting patiently in the dark and cold field in southwest England.
—CBS News, 21 Dec. 2025
In pagan and other pre-Christian traditions, legends arose of mythical beings who emerged during the long nights around the solstice to dole out more extreme punishments to those who weren't on their best behavior.
—Carlie Procell, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
Other cultures had similar variations of a dark helper, like the Alpine pagans’ Perchten and the Palatinate region’s Belsnickel.
—Angelika Ytuarte, jsonline.com, 5 Dec. 2025
Samhain is also celebrated in Salem by the local pagan and witch communities, who often share their traditions with curious out-of-towners.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
In the Book of Acts, the pagans of Athens gathered to hear the gospel preached by Paul.
—Brooke L. Rollins, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Church officials decided to recognize Dec. 25 as his birthday, probably to coincide with the date of pagan festivals in an attempt to get pagans to accept Christianity as the official religion.
—Atlanta Life, ajc, 10 Nov. 2017
While plague stalks the land, paranoid peasants swap cautionary folk tales about evil spirits, pagans, Jews and other outsiders.
—Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2017
Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025
The History of Hanukkah More than 2,000 years ago, Antiochus, a cruel ruler of the Greek Kingdom, imposed pagan beliefs on the Jewish people.
—Holly Rizzuto Palker, Parents, 14 Dec. 2025
Summons the pagan sprit of Excel art.
—Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
Warily establishing themselves in a new settlement, where the husband gets work carving an idol for a pagan temple, they are initially welcomed.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
When a rigid, devoutly Christian cop (Edward Woodward) arrives in search of a missing girl, he's horrified by the island's embrace of pagan rituals.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
This pagan tradition took place on October 31 when the Celts believed the veil between the physical world and the spirit realm was thinnest, with ceremonial fires and rituals taking place to mark the conclusion of one pastoral year, and the entry into the next.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
The History Blog noted that King Knut led campaigns against pagan groups to spread Christianity.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 12 Oct. 2025
Just before the combine, though, Cam, while practicing alone at night, is struck in the head by a strange pagan spirit-slash-mascot that emerges out of the shadows.
—Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
According to the Pew Research Center, historically between one-third and one-half of Americans observe this pagan rite every year by making their own New Year’s resolutions.
—Bhumika Tharoor, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025
The crowds, many dressed as druids and pagans, had gathered before dawn, waiting patiently in the dark and cold field in southwest England.
—CBS News, 21 Dec. 2025
In pagan and other pre-Christian traditions, legends arose of mythical beings who emerged during the long nights around the solstice to dole out more extreme punishments to those who weren't on their best behavior.
—Carlie Procell, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
Other cultures had similar variations of a dark helper, like the Alpine pagans’ Perchten and the Palatinate region’s Belsnickel.
—Angelika Ytuarte, jsonline.com, 5 Dec. 2025
Samhain is also celebrated in Salem by the local pagan and witch communities, who often share their traditions with curious out-of-towners.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
In the Book of Acts, the pagans of Athens gathered to hear the gospel preached by Paul.
—Brooke L. Rollins, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Church officials decided to recognize Dec. 25 as his birthday, probably to coincide with the date of pagan festivals in an attempt to get pagans to accept Christianity as the official religion.
—Atlanta Life, ajc, 10 Nov. 2017
While plague stalks the land, paranoid peasants swap cautionary folk tales about evil spirits, pagans, Jews and other outsiders.
—Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2017
Adjective
Over the course of that months-long reporting, a picture has emerged of the radical characters involved with the property, including a notorious neo-Nazi family and a pagan mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025
The History of Hanukkah More than 2,000 years ago, Antiochus, a cruel ruler of the Greek Kingdom, imposed pagan beliefs on the Jewish people.
—Holly Rizzuto Palker, Parents, 14 Dec. 2025
Summons the pagan sprit of Excel art.
—Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
Warily establishing themselves in a new settlement, where the husband gets work carving an idol for a pagan temple, they are initially welcomed.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
When a rigid, devoutly Christian cop (Edward Woodward) arrives in search of a missing girl, he's horrified by the island's embrace of pagan rituals.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
This pagan tradition took place on October 31 when the Celts believed the veil between the physical world and the spirit realm was thinnest, with ceremonial fires and rituals taking place to mark the conclusion of one pastoral year, and the entry into the next.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
The History Blog noted that King Knut led campaigns against pagan groups to spread Christianity.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 12 Oct. 2025
Just before the combine, though, Cam, while practicing alone at night, is struck in the head by a strange pagan spirit-slash-mascot that emerges out of the shadows.
—Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pagan
Noun
-
The basic original recipe for latkes—grated potatoes formed into small cakes and fried—was similar to ones popular at the time among gentiles in Eastern Europe during the Christmas season.—
Joan Nathan,
Saveur,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Nothing can be done, at this point, about the dubious premise that mainstream Jews and gentiles in 2020s Los Angeles occupy separate social worlds.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Iran is a theocratic republic rooted ideologically in Shiite Islam while Venezuela is a socialist and secular regime.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Concern was higher among older and secular Israelis.—
Grace Gilson,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Kelson is a man of science and an atheist, but not without a touch of mysticism.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Gervais is famously an atheist and has received backlash for comments he’s made about the trans community.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
His stories, particularly the later ones, center around the idea that the Universe is a godless cosmos that is entirely indifferent to humanity.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Predictably, the hubbub surrounding the photo was eventually framed as a war between uptight virgins and godless heathens, with a quieter contingent astounded only by the fact that this kind of marketing could still be so effective.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Stewart’s switch from his usual snark to imitate Colbert’s buffoonery proved how spiteful and irreligious political humor has become since the left’s worship of Barack Obama and subsequent persecution of President Trump.—
Armond White,
National Review,
25 July 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
Kwanzaa is a nonreligious, secular holiday that is mainly celebrated in North America and the Caribbean.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
2 Dec. 2025
-
Many children raised by devout parents and teachers still embrace their parents’ beliefs, but ever-fewer young people raised in less committed or entirely nonreligious families and schools espouse religious faith.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pagan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pagan. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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