professed 1 of 2

adjective

prə-ˈfest How to pronounce professed (audio)
Definition of professednext
as in adept
having or showing exceptional knowledge, experience, or skill in a field of endeavor a professed analyst of American presidential politics

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professed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of profess
1
as in pretended
to present a false appearance of professed friendship while secretly plotting revenge

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2
as in declared
to state clearly and strongly the lonely woman professed her love in a series of letters to the soldier

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in alleged
to state as a fact usually forcefully he professed his innocence to anyone who would listen

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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 professed
Adjective
But what has emerged bears little resemblance to his professed vision. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 4 June 2026 To reward Rue’s professed desire to swap sides, the cartel threatens her with all manner of violence before slicing her palm open with a knife. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 25 May 2026
Verb
Though Le Soleil professed strong public health beliefs, the parents and the daycare share a commercial relationship, not one related to joining together for First Amendment activities, Brailsford said. — Idaho Statesman, 23 Sep. 2026 Erosion along the 3-mile shoreline topped 60% in August and narrowed the beach to a point even Tybee lifers professed to have never seen. — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for professed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for professed
  1. adept
  2. pretended
  3. declared
  4. alleged
  5. skilled
  6. assumed
  7. asserted
  8. insisted
Adjective
  • Is there a future for the kinds of musical deja vu the Avalanches are so adept at evoking?
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The august speakers included an Oxford don, a Harvard strategy professor, a New York Times reporter, and … me, the lone representative for the young and technologically adept, unencumbered by conventional wisdom.
    — Jeff DeGraff, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of adept
Verb
  • Tremble’s taunt after his second TD was already coming in for teasing by his teammates postgame, as running back Chuba Hubbard (120 rushing yards, one TD) pretended to be a reporter and asked Tremble about it.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Pressed — surely she’s pretended to be sick to get out of a party?
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of pretended
Verb
  • Officials declared success an hour later when the spacecraft separated as planned from the rocket's upper stage.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Parillo allegedly excluded her from LHS’s management and declared himself the company’s director, president, secretary, and treasurer.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of declared
Verb
  • In a visual presentation at their news conference, federal authorities alleged that 21 of the 28 people charged had actually voted.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • State attorneys general alleged that Meta covered up internal studies on the impact of Instagram on teenagers’ mental health.
    — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of alleged
Adjective
  • Indeed, Rabe might just have the toughest job of all, and not because she is regularly called upon to joust (sometimes loudly) with performers as skilled and, to repeat, beloved as Louis-Dreyfus and Harris.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Using that information to inform computer models, the scientists found that mosasaurs were skilled ambush predators built for a quick sneak attack.
    — October 16, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of skilled
Verb
  • Lukic, whose lab continues to scale up its medium-voltage unit, assumed the killer application for SSTs would be EVs.
    — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • If Cammarata is correct, then mechanistic interpretation may be more effective than many had assumed.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of assumed
Verb
  • In a debate earlier this week, Bass highlighted her accomplishments in paving the way for new affordable housing, while Raman asserted that housing production is still lagging and Bass isn’t doing enough.
    — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The company generally denied the allegations and asserted that any damages should be apportioned among the parties and other potentially responsible parties.
    — Patrick Danner, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of asserted
Verb
  • Busfield, who has insisted be was innocent of the charges, was released from custody pending trial.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Roberts insisted that the works were real and that the the Warhol Foundation had said as much to him.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of insisted

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Cite this Entry

“Professed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/professed. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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