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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
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
Even though his only preseason success came on straight go balls that didn’t test his route running, coaches have professed faith in the 2025 third-round pick. — Chad Graff, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 El-Sayed and Piker have professed their abhorrence of anti-Semitism. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 28 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
  • No wonder the action sequences never seem exhilarating — Latif may be adept at staying alive, but the sanctity of his soul is another matter entirely.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Advances in the sector also increase the chance of nefarious actors launching devastating cyberattacks, with AI becoming increasingly adept at identifying and exploiting cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
    — Stephen Collins, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of adept
Verb
  • The pope, formerly Robert Prevost, grew up in a deeply Catholic family in Chicago where the three sons all served as altar boys in church, their parents led nightly recitations of the Rosary and young Robert pretended to be a priest.
    — Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The story goes that the couple had gone home from his show, and the husband pretended to be the Lovemaster.
    — Don Riddell, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of pretended
Verb
  • In what is considered Clone Saga’s most controversial twist in the books, Ben Reilly at one point is declared the real Spider-Man and Peter Parker the clone — a switch that eventually was reversed after backlash from fans.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026
  • On Monday, The New York Times reported that FBI employees had received an internal email that declared the hack to be a cybersecurity incident and acknowledged that personal information of some employees had been stolen.
    — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of declared
Verb
  • While the health plan designed the system to be fair, patients and their lawyers have alleged that Kaiser’s greater knowledge of arbitrators’ past rulings and its ability to veto arbitrators gives it an advantage to pick favorable judges.
    — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
  • In an April 30 lawsuit, the residents alleged their homes had sustained unspecified damages from the acoustic vibrations associated with Starship launches.
    — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of alleged
Adjective
  • When an accident occurs on a steep part of the road, police and emergency services wait until skilled climbers arrive.
    — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Beyond its locations and skilled crews, the city brings together the connections, accommodation, infrastructure and specialist services needed to organize a complex production.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of skilled
Verb
  • The actress was named a global ambassador to the French luxury fashion house in September 2025, under the creative direction of Jonathan Anderson, who assumed his role with Dior in April 2025.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Fire Marshal responded to the scene and has assumed the investigation, according to Homestead police.
    — Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of assumed
Verb
  • The fund asserted in its letter that a potential strategic buyer of the entire company could subsequently divest assets, shifting the execution risk of such sales away from Devon holders.
    — David Faber, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026
  • In response, Abraham has asserted the rigor of the editorial process that the movie, which is produced by the Guardian, went through, and has detailed how its sources’ identities were verified.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of asserted
Verb
  • Basner insisted that the money be spent on improving the film.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Khadijah had insisted on nursing their newborn Aziza with her own breast milk, but Latif discovers that only a few pouches remain in the fridge and formula makes his baby sick.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of insisted

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professed
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Cite this Entry

“Professed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/professed. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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