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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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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 professed
Adjective
Some fleeing toil and craving transcendence, others reaffirming a faith long professed. — Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026 Trump can’t seem to refrain from touting his genius, especially when the subject is dealmaking, his professed speciality. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
Though the two have not divulged a complete explanation for their divorce, both have since professed admiration for one other. — Rance Collins, Entertainment Weekly, 18 July 2026 Even Kennedy, who has professed a deep interest in fixing the nation’s patchy addiction-treatment infrastructure, has offered no plan for dealing specifically with the country’s favorite drug. — Lev Facher, STAT, 30 June 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
  • As the below playstyle wheel shows, the 24-year-old is an active presence off the ball and relatively adept both at retaining possession and ball-carrying.
    — Mark Carey, New York Times, 31 July 2026
  • The team also found that residents in the Sardinian Blue Zone had higher levels of curiosity and receptiveness to new ideas in general, and were more adept at understanding and sharing their emotions.
    — Refractor, Refractor, 27 July 2026
Definition of adept
Verb
  • Unafraid of sinking as low as possible at the welfare office, Dennis pretended to be recovering from a crack problem while Dee feigned intellectual disability, but the caseworker wasn’t buying it.
    — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026
  • The hacker pretended to be one of the furniture company's employees and changed the vendor's bank account on file with Children's.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 24 July 2026
Definition of pretended
Verb
  • The World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic more than six years ago, and the public health emergency ended in the US more than three years ago.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Denton said the mechanism is ready to be deployed in a matter of weeks, if not sooner, but acknowledged that a workable trade corridor can’t simply be declared into existence.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of declared
Verb
  • Prosecutors alleged that some protesters caused damage to it, though Walsh and Rabbitt were not accused of that.
    — Meg Anderson, NPR, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control added that the kennel facility’s permits expired in 2023, and alleged that multiple attempts by both county agencies to contact the owner, Blair, had gone unanswered.
    — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of alleged
Adjective
  • The outlet reported that the character, who is a preteen in season 4 of Ted Lasso, has grown into a skilled soccer player — something Feely alluded to in an October 2025 interview with the Birmingham Parent.
    — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Data center investment offers an opportunity to expand the tax base, create high-wage skilled trades and technology jobs, and support broader infrastructure modernization.
    — Ron Kitchens, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of skilled
Verb
  • Since Escola, who won a Tony for playing Mary, left the production, tons of famous faces have assumed the part including Jane Krakowski, Tituss Burgess, Betty Gilpin, Maya Rudolph and Meg Stalter.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Her current role will be assumed by new General Counsel Jennifer Newstead.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of assumed
Verb
  • The prosecution has asserted that Lindsay's controlling nature as a mother was a motive in the killings.
    — Melina Khan, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Under Democratic Chairman Tom Wheeler, the FCC asserted authority to change any aspect of the cap.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of asserted
Verb
  • Still, the billions of taxpayer dollars Congress has allocated for foreign aid programs must be spent; lawmakers have insisted the government continue to fund humanitarian aid, global health and pro-democracy causes around the world.
    — Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 7 Aug. 2026
  • But some House leaders insisted that the memorial be built on Capitol Hill, two miles to the east, since Lincoln had preserved the Union and worked closely with Congress during the Civil War.
    — Jennifer Tucker, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 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 10 Aug. 2026.

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