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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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
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 Legal Weed Protects Kids A common element to these proposals is a professed urgency to protect children from legal weed. — A.j. Herrington, Forbes.com, 6 May 2026
Verb
After this experience, China strengthened its public health capacity and professed a new openness to reporting of potential epidemics. — David J. Hunter, STAT, 7 Aug. 2026 Bruce, 76, professed his love for Patti, 72, at the June 6 dedication of the new Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music on the campus of Monmouth University in Long Branch. — Chris Jordan, USA Today, 4 Aug. 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
  • The 22-year-old likes to get touch-tight to attackers but is an adept reader of the game too, knowing when to hang back.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • All this to say that London famously remains at once hospitable to the outsider and adept at keeping him or her on the surface.
    — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of adept
Verb
  • Police later determined that Bianchi and Buono often pretended to be off-duty police officers to lure their victims.
    — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The wild videos of Daejon Love, the 35-year-old man who pretended to be a 49ers receiver.
    — Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of pretended
Verb
  • At the time, NBA commissioner Adam Silver declared the change was intended to signal that the WNBA held equal stature with other major professional leagues.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The Houthis also declared a blockade of Saudi shipping using the Red Sea – a vital outlet for the kingdom’s crude oil since Iran has sought to block the Strait of Hormuz.
    — Becky Anderson, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of declared
Verb
  • The plaintiffs, Priscilla Sterling, Raine Becker, Shawn Miller and John Bennett, alleged that the city knowingly allowed residents to drink unsafe water.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
  • In one of those suits, a young Chicago father, Rafael Veraza, alleged that an ordinary shopping trip turned into an attack.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of alleged
Adjective
  • Broad, Mumtaz and plenty of others freshen up the rotation, something Sky Sports are quite skilled at doing having eased out older school figures like Ian Botham, David Gower and David Lloyd in recent years.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • America’s industrial sector is facing severe operational hurdles, driven by irregular supply chains and a shortage of skilled workers.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of skilled
Verb
  • Close relatives of Cabrera and Vela Gonzalez initially assumed ICE would clear up the issue.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The resulting knowledge could eventually contribute to long-duration space missions, where reliable food production would be essential but natural sunlight, soil and stable environmental conditions cannot be assumed.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of assumed
Verb
  • Tibet is a Chinese autonomous region that has gone through cycles of protest, unrest and government repression since China asserted control over the region in 1951.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The item asserted that some Medicare and Medicaid cancer patients wait longer for treatment than those with private insurance.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of asserted
Verb
  • Parton didn't say so, but Steinem insisted more than three decades ago that the pair fit together under the same feminist flag.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Mills insisted the photos didn't need nudity to make an impression.
    — Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 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 12 Sep. 2026.

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