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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of profane
Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
Verbal jousting can become provocative in startling ways, even without being profane.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 22 Feb. 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
Leaders should serve as positive role models and not use profane language to demonize an opponent.
—Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
Verbal jousting can become provocative in startling ways, even without being profane.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 22 Feb. 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
-
While the magnitude of these surges varies by context, the temporal clustering of activity in both cases demonstrates that social media visibility is driven by discrete political and moral shocks rather than sustained baseline engagement.—
Arnaud Kurze,
The Conversation,
9 Mar. 2026
-
When choosing trees for year-long interest, consider both long-term and temporal sources of color and texture, and think about how these combine with other elements.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The protesters included secular left-wingers and nationalists as well as Islamists, but Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a fundamentalist cleric at that time exiled in France, emerged as the movement's undisputed figurehead.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The five-star analyst considers growing adoption of agentic AI as the next potential secular catalyst for Palo Alto.—
TipRanks.com Staff,
CNBC,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And for a while, Chase was like spending kind of obscene amounts of money like recycling the metal and the thing.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
10 Mar. 2026
-
An investigation by the Bakersfield Police Department also led to separate charges citing Mays for possession of more than 600 images of youth or child pornography and distribution of obscene matter involving someone younger than 18.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Richard Pazdur, a longtime cancer drug regulator, retired from the CDER director post in December due to concerns that political officials were corrupting the agency’s scientific process.—
Lizzy Lawrence,
STAT,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Over time, these invisible strikes can corrupt data, damage components, and shorten a spacecraft’s life.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Environmental laws should protect our natural areas and not be misused to stop housing in our city cores.—
Matt Mahan,
Mercury News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Many are concerned that there is insufficient understanding of how to ensure it cannot be misused by bad actors or nudged to go rogue.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Airlines and their trade association argue that the Biden administration’s wheelchair regulations exceed the Department of Transportation’s statutory authority and violate the Administrative Procedure Act, claiming the requirements impose unreasonable burdens on air carriers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Eleven people, including several sitting members of Bridgeport city council and the former vice chair of the city’s Democratic Party, are facing hundreds of state criminal charges for violating Connecticut’s absentee ballot laws during back-to-back mayoral elections in 2019 and 2023.—
Andrew Brown,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Be physical, rebound and play competitive.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
14 Mar. 2026
-
When Grace first awakens on his ship, the film cuts hectically around, above, and below him, as if to approximate his mental and physical disorientation.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Lewd and vulgar language is banned.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Bauder admonished the crowd several times for being too noisy, and police removed a protester who yelled vulgar comments.—
Heather Hollingsworth,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Profane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profane. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
