profanes

verb

present tense third-person singular of profane
1
as in degrades
to lower in character, dignity, or quality the once-lovely landscape had been profaned by ugly factories

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abuses
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 violates
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for profanes
  1. degrades
  2. abuses
  3. violates
  4. corrupts
  5. misuses
  6. desecrates
  7. humiliates
  8. subverts
Verb
  • The signal degrades at every step along this journey, and the guessers have to do their best with some pretty warped data.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 28 July 2026
  • This outcome-fixation registers in the brain as a threat, triggering a subtle fight-or-flight state that degrades executive presence.
    — Luciana Paulise, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of degrades
Verb
  • New York City’s child welfare agency routinely abuses its emergency power to take children from their parents without a court order, creating lifelong consequences for families, a new class-action lawsuit seeking to end the practice alleged Thursday.
    — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 28 May 2026
  • People deserve a government that watches out for our people’s best interests, not one that abuses its powers and sells us to the highest bidder.
    — Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Definition of abuses
Verb
  • The technology has its proponents who laud its investigative power, while opponents call it a mass surveillance system that violates privacy and civil liberties.
    — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 26 July 2026
  • The lawsuit argues that the commission's position violates state law and the Wisconsin Constitution's guarantees of the right to vote and equal protection under the law.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
Definition of violates
Verb
  • Forgetting his bond with the land, Mariano awakens the Ch’iqmi, a dark force that corrupts his people.
    — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 25 June 2026
  • One nanny will try to get to the bottom of it before all the partying, power and privilege corrupts her.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of corrupts
Verb
  • These taxes and fees aren’t high just because California misuses the funds.
    — Nolan Gray, Oc Register, 21 June 2026
  • But if the authorized user spends more than expected or misuses the account, the primary cardholder is still responsible for the bill.
    — Doug Ashburn, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
Definition of misuses
Verb
  • His name no longer desecrates this sacred memorial, which belongs to the American people.
    — Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR, 8 July 2026
  • Nothing beats cuteness except watching violence be enacted upon the cuteness; like an aural Happy Tree Friends, Skulls tosses pom-poms of fuzz into the sky then desecrates them.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of desecrates
Verb
  • Diomande just humiliates fullbacks.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
  • Incompetent leadership humiliates us on the global stage.
    — Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Definition of humiliates
Verb
  • Seen through the lens of the Civil War and its aftermath, the piece subverts every expectation.
    — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
  • Although the Western genre is an ever-present influence, Grisebach subverts some of its tropes.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 22 May 2026
Definition of subverts
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.

Browse Nearby Words

profaned
profanes
profaning
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Profanes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profanes. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on profanes

Nglish: Translation of profanes for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inveigle

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All