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 atheistical
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
Mikayla Bunnell, Hartford Courant, 1 June 2025
One other surprise: profane though Ross could be in conversation, his cheek was easily mantled with a blush.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 5 May 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
This is why regular, informative news stories are not going viral, but the aggressive, profane posts are.
—Mikayla Bunnell, Hartford Courant, 1 June 2025
One other surprise: profane though Ross could be in conversation, his cheek was easily mantled with a blush.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 5 May 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
-
For Lyell, the material and the organic worlds belong to categorically distinct temporal orders.—
Lewis Hyde,
Harpers Magazine,
18 June 2025
-
While scholars like Resnik, Hosseini, Friesen, Floridi and Lin have proposed meaningful reforms, such as ethical AI education, diverse oversight and explainability principles, few focus on the evolving temporal relationship between humans and algorithms.—
Taposh Roy,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
The ex-data processor for the Boston Transportation Department was previously convicted in Suffolk Superior Court of: rape of a child, assault to rape a child, indecent assault and battery on a child, disseminating obscene material to a minor, and possession of child pornography.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
24 June 2025
-
But the legal standard for what qualifies as obscene is extremely high.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2025
Verb
-
The appointments are likely to increase concern that federal vaccine recommendations will be corrupted and lead to Americans losing access to lifesaving vaccines.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
11 June 2025
-
Rogen lands a few funny lines, but the jokes mostly serve to distract from the point of the story: that freedom is ephemeral and easily corrupted, while humans are inherently piggish (as opposed to the other way around), seizing the first opportunity to take more than their share.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
9 June 2025
Verb
-
According to Hinton, the threat unfolds when: People misuse AI, and AI becomes smarter than us Hinton cites cyberattacks, creation of viruses, corruption of elections, and creation of echo chambers as examples of the first way AI poses an existential threat.—
Pia Lauritzen,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2025
-
In his message, published by the Vatican, Leo said AI technology is a great tool but also could be misused and cause harm, especially to developmentally vulnerable children and young people.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
By crossing multiple red lines — violating Iran’s sovereignty, expanding extrajudicial killings, and striking nuclear, energy, and civilian infrastructure — Israel has drawn widespread ire.—
Faisal J. Abbas,
semafor.com,
17 June 2025
-
In that suit, plaintiffs claimed that Blue Cross violated antitrust laws.—
Lucas Dufalla,
Arkansas Online,
17 June 2025
Adjective
-
But today’s escalating tensions go back to 1953, when British oil companies and the CIA orchestrated a coup and installed the Shah of Iran, a secular ruler willing to accommodate Big Oil and other corporate interests in the West.—
Robert Polner,
New York Daily News,
23 June 2025
-
While many are motivated by religious believes, other secular walkers do it as a ‘mindful’ journey, a physical achievement or as a practical way to explore European culture, historical sites and history itself.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2025
Adjective
-
One of them, a graduate student named Hailey, who had the kind of vulgar beauty of fecundity, duly fell pregnant.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
15 June 2025
-
Dem rep's vulgar demand to ICE officers leads to calls to expel her from Congress MAJOR HEADLINES 'NEVER SEEN HER' – AOC, progressives ripped for ignoring 'Red Light district' as prostitution, filthy streets return.—
,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2025
Verb
-
One of the challenges is that signals in fiber-optic cables degrade over distance.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
24 June 2025
-
However, Iran’s ability to counterattack has been degraded by Israeli airstrikes.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Profane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profane. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share