irreligion

noun

ir·​re·​li·​gion ˌir-i-ˈli-jən How to pronounce irreligion (audio)
: the quality or state of being irreligious
irreligionist noun

Examples of irreligion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
In February 1952, both in the wake of the book and amid Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy’s attacks on educators, a committee of Yale alumni responded with an investigation into communism, irreligion, and academic freedom at the institution. Claire Potter, The New Republic, 28 June 2023 Mencken's irreligion is widely known, but less so his Old Right politics which prefigured post-World War 2 libertarianism. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 17 Oct. 2012 Thus, Western irreligion defines a society whose members are unable to approach or wonder about God and the truth about themselves because religion and faith don’t seem real or possible. Richard M. Reinsch Ii, National Review, 17 Feb. 2022 Epstein’s ascent aligns with an uptick in irreligion across the US and at Harvard over the past several decades. BostonGlobe.com, 27 Aug. 2021 The price of being able to advocate your beliefs and practice your religion, or your irreligion, is that people with starkly incompatible beliefs and gods are able to do the same. Steve Chapman Chicago Tribune, Star Tribune, 20 Dec. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French, from Late Latin irreligion-, irreligio, from Latin in- + religion-, religio religion

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of irreligion was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near irreligion

Cite this Entry

“Irreligion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irreligion. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.

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