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
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2
as in to misuse
to put to a bad or improper use
profaned his considerable acting talents by appearing in some wretched movies
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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
Toby Mergler, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Tarantino’s movies are known for pithy, profane dialogue and are liberally peppered with pop-culture references, graphic violence, and over-the-top cinematic flourishes.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 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
His profane postgame pep talk regarding the Packers cemented his status in Chi-town for many years to come, and the team seems to gain emotional momentum from his untethered tactics.
—Toby Mergler, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Tarantino’s movies are known for pithy, profane dialogue and are liberally peppered with pop-culture references, graphic violence, and over-the-top cinematic flourishes.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 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
-
For the launch colorway, a vivid graphic may initially bring to mind heat maps with its application of blue, green, yellow and red — but the choice was actually made to invoke a temporal fold, a theoretical concept of bending spacetime to move faster than the speed of light.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
13 Feb. 2026
-
This temporal displacement has consequences.—
Michael Paarlberg,
The Conversation,
12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
A student’s religious viewpoint must be treated the same way as a student’s secular viewpoint, and district officials are barred from discriminating against a student based on their religious views.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The court found that the law had no secular purpose but served a plainly religious purpose.—
Hannah Schoenbaum,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
His night ended amid a storm of laughing students and obscene gestures.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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However, that approach might convince possible free agent targets (say Green’s Bay’s Malik Willis) to look elsewhere, unless the money Miami’s offering is obscene, and far exceeds another franchise.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
-
In this way at least, the mayor follows in the path of Socrates by corrupting the young.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The beleaguered labor secretary had been accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a member of her security detail on top of misusing her funds.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Claude Code Security builds on over a year of research by the company’s Frontier Red Team, an internal group of about 15 researchers tasked with stress-testing the company’s most advanced AI systems and probing how they might be misused in areas such as cybersecurity.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Trump originally accused the bank of trade libel and violating state and federal unfair and deceptive trade practices.—
Ken Sweet,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The repeal followed Congress’s zeroing out of penalties for violating Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) targets as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.—
Julian Torres,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Until now, the physical mechanism behind that transport had not been confirmed.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
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According to Ruby, seven of the 20 or so churches in G92, a Christian immigrant advocacy coalition in the city, are ready to offer physical sanctuary, though many are avoiding publicity for fear of harassment.—
Caitlin Hu,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Colt Gray sent grandmother concerning texts In her testimony, Polhamus reviewed several angry, vulgar text messages from Colt Gray that showed his spiraling mental health and penchant for outbursts.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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Brush was also behind an 1898 National League rule that prohibited indecent, vulgar or obscene language.—
Libby Cierzniak,
IndyStar,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Profane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profane. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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