1
as in temporal
not involving religion or religious matters
it was hard to juggle the requirements of church and our more profane duties
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in secular
not showing proper reverence for the holy or sacred
offended by the profane language that her coworkers used so casually
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
his idea of dinner table conversation is the telling of profane stories about his alleged sexual exploits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to corrupt
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
the once-lovely landscape had been profaned by ugly factories
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to misuse
to put to a bad or improper use
profaned his considerable acting talents by appearing in some wretched movies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to violate
to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect
invading troops profaned the altar by playing poker on it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of profane
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 19 Apr. 2026
Ball was also fined an additional $25,000 for using profane language during a live postgame television interview on Tuesday.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2021
The narrative is that of a leader who has experienced vilification at the hands of enemies who are both secular (and thus profane) and intensely demonic.
—Federico Finchelstein, The New Republic, 3 Nov. 2020
See All Example Sentences for profane
Adjective
The bar embodies the new season’s unusual tension between the spiritual and the profane, jutting out into the desert as an establishment devoted to sin that Rue sees as her salvation.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 19 Apr. 2026
Ball was also fined an additional $25,000 for using profane language during a live postgame television interview on Tuesday.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
Her husband, the exuberant and often profane former Dodgers manager who won two World Series championships, died Jan. 7 at 93.
—Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2021
The narrative is that of a leader who has experienced vilification at the hands of enemies who are both secular (and thus profane) and intensely demonic.
—Federico Finchelstein, The New Republic, 3 Nov. 2020
See All Example Sentences for profane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profane
Adjective
-
These included a molar and humerus shaft from NgLj-3; two molars, a premolar, and a temporal cranium bone from NgLj-2; and a sample taken from a left humerus found in 2018 at NgLj-1.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 May 2026
-
To test this hypothesis, the researchers recruited seven people who were scheduled for an anterior temporal lobectomy, a type of surgery in which pieces of brain tissue are removed in order to treat severe epilepsy.—
Jacek Krywko,
Scientific American,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
At the same time, the saving-glut idea was partly absorbed into debates over secular stagnation and the long decline in real interest rates.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
Putin, in power for more than a quarter-century, has used Victory Day, Russia’s most important secular holiday, to showcase the country’s military might and rally support for his military action in Ukraine, now in its fifth year.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
Faced with that reality, our inability to relate to one another becomes almost obscene.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
-
For instance, the ruling recognized that the government’s need to protect national security might require it to prevent publication of the number and location of troops and that the primary requirements of decency might require censorship of obscene publications.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
An independent redistricting commission — transparent, balanced and insulated from the very political pressures that have corrupted this process.—
Daryl Campbell,
Sun Sentinel,
6 May 2026
-
In an era when youth sports can sometimes feel corrupted by money, pressure and adult ego, the Lee Corso Legacy Fund serves as a reminder of what sports are supposed to be about in the first place.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Duterte faces accusations of failing to declare major bank transactions, misusing confidential office funds, and making 2024 threats to have President Marcos, his wife, and a cousin killed.—
Jim Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
Magyar plans to establish a National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, an authority tasked with investigating and recovering public funds misused during Orbán's tenure.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
In April, the group of 19 camps in Texas filed a lawsuit saying the requirement to install fiber optic internet does not make their properties safer, violates the state Constitution and laws regarding property rights, and could prevent them from opening.—
STEPHEN SIMPSON The Texas Tribune,
Arkansas Online,
10 May 2026
-
Critics say the commission lacks religious and ideological diversity, violates federal law requiring balanced viewpoints, and threatens long-standing constitutional church-state protections.—
Peter Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
In the face of shooting and shooting-up deaths, if permanent gates — which are, after all, only a physical manifestation of the existing curfew — will deter mischief and malfeasance post-midnight, then my vote is to lock it up.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 May 2026
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This may well be true, according to BNP Paribas Asset Management portfolio manager Sophie Huynh, but physical constraints could pose a bigger problem to profits than the cycle itself.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
His father's death during World War II influenced his pursuit of the ministry even amid the officially atheistic communist regime of the Soviet Union, according to his obituary on the OCU website.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
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But there has been a recent rise in secular congregations that explicitly mimic religious organizations and rituals to celebrate atheistic worldviews.—
Jacqui Frost,
The Conversation,
11 Jan. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Profane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profane. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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