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
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
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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
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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
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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
-
Guests will enjoy the experience free from disruptive behavior, foul language, obscene gestures, fighting, unruly conduct or inconsiderate actions.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Davidson has Tourette's with Coprolalia, which involves involuntary outbursts of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks, according to the Tourette Association of America.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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In February, for instance, the Department of Justice joined a lawsuit brought by the 1776 Project Foundation, alleging that the Los Angeles Unified School District had violated the law by conditioning funding on the basis of student race.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Indiana has been at the center of the tanking discussion in the NBA after being fined $100,000 for violating the league’s player participation policy.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
LaMelo Ball bodying up Noticing a more physical nature from LaMelo Ball this season?—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Mar. 2026
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Understanding the faces of early human ancestors is of interest to researchers because their features represent a connection between hominins and their physical and social surroundings, Beaudet said.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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On Heavenly’s last record, released in 1996, their daydreamy idealism had become more vulgar and concrete, and the instrumental backing had adopted a Britpop punchiness to match; however, the album was released just after drummer Mathew Fletcher’s death, leading to Heavenly’s abrupt dissolution.—
Jude Noel,
Pitchfork,
4 Mar. 2026
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In 2024, another former WISN-AM radio host, Jay Weber, was suspended for two weeks after posting vulgar comments about Walz's then-17-year-old neurodivergent son, Gus.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Profane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profane. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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