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
Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Kattalin is caught between duty and desire, people and parish – at the mercy of judgments both sacred and profane.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025
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
They are known for sharing outspoken left-wing takes on politics and using profane language.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Kattalin is caught between duty and desire, people and parish – at the mercy of judgments both sacred and profane.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025
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
-
The researchers were trying to test a concept known as temporal discontinuity, in which a brief amount of time passes between the introduction of an item and the assignment of its name.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Of course, school felt like a temporal abyss for a lot of young people, especially those who were violently singled out for their differences.—
Alex Jovanovich,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
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
Adjective
-
Indonesia, with the world’s biggest Muslim population, has strict rules that ban the sharing online of content deemed obscene.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Sylvie's storylines are ridiculous, her wardrobe obscene, her audacity unparalleled.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As Jay Jonah Atterbury, one of a handful of new characters on the fourth season of Industry, Kal Penn weaponizes and corrupts the stoner quirks viewers may recognize from his years playing Kumar Patel in the Harold & Kumar films.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
-
His mind is warped, his sense of morality corrupted.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And, if federal officials determine a state has misused funds, they can be withheld, reduced or clawed back.—
Jillian Taylor,
StateImpact,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Jacobson retired effective immediately on Monday after he was confronted by Mayor Justin Elicker and admitted to misusing the money, Elicker told reporters.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In October 2025, Beckerink pleaded no contest to domestic violence charges in connection to two incidents at Tracey's home in New Buffalo, Michigan, as well as one count of contempt for violating his bond, and was sentenced to 93 days in jail.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The lawsuit argues the freeze violated federal law, including the Administrative Procedure Act and constitutional limits on executive power and how Congress appropriates funds.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
As a pattern of intimidation, isolation, humiliation and controlling behavior, coercive control can be as damaging as physical abuse.—
Oona Metz,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Felton’s confessions, both to his father and to police, were corroborated by location data and physical evidence, the complaint says.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Although the Ripken card launched many conspiracy theories as to whether the inclusion of its vulgar phrase was truly a mistake or a Fleer marketing ploy, there is a long history of errors making it through quality control in sports card production.—
Tyler Holzhammer,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
The joke swap during last year's Christmas episode went to some particularly jaw-dropping places after Che made Jost read a vulgar joke about Johansson.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
21 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Profane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profane. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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