profane

1 of 2

verb

pro·​fane prō-ˈfān 

prə-

profaned; profaning

transitive verb

1

: to treat (something sacred) with abuse, irreverence, or contempt : desecrate

2

: to debase by a wrong, unworthy, or vulgar use

profaner noun

profane

2 of 2

adjective

1

: not concerned with religion or religious purposes : secular

2

: not holy because unconsecrated, impure, or defiled : unsanctified

3

a

: serving to debase or defile what is holy : irreverent

b

: obscene, vulgar

4

a

: not being among the initiated

b

: not possessing esoteric or expert knowledge

profanely adverb

profaneness

prō-ˈfān-nəs 

prə-

noun

Synonyms

Verb

• abase
• bastardize
• canker
• cheapen
• corrupt
• debase
• debauch
• degrade
• demean
• demoralize
• deprave
• deteriorate
• lessen
• pervert
• poison
• prostitute
• subvert
• vitiate
• warp

Adjective

• nonreligious
• secular
• temporal

Examples of profane in a Sentence

Verb

the once-lovely landscape had been profaned by ugly factories

profaned his considerable acting talents by appearing in some wretched movies

Adjective

it was hard to juggle the requirements of church and our more profane duties

offended by the profane language that her coworkers used so casually

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Beatty’s method is the exact opposite: In his hands, everything sacred is profaned, from the Supreme Court to the Little Rascals. —New York Times, 8 July 2024

If Bartolo was against type, then so is Messina's turn as ruthless sports agent David Falk, who profanes his way through protecting his star client, Michael Jordan, when Nike courts the rising basketball star with his own line of shoes, the Air Jordans. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2023

Adjective

He’s known for being high-energy and often using profane language. —Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 4 Dec. 2024

But this is the post-2020 Trump—an older, angrier, more profane Trump, who demanded that his followers embrace his big lie about the last election and whose campaign will go down as one of the most racist, sexist, and xenophobic in modern history. —Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English prophanen, from Anglo-French prophaner, from Latin profanare, from profanus

Adjective

Middle English prophane, from Middle French, from Latin profanus, from pro- before + fanum temple — more at pro-, feast

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

profane

1 of 2 verb

pro·​fane prō-ˈfān 

prə-

profaned; profaning

1

: to treat (something sacred) with great disrespect

2

: to put to a wrong or vulgar use : debase

profanation

ˌpräf-ə-ˈnā-shən

ˌprō-fə-

noun

profanatory

prō-ˈfan-ə-ˌtōr-ē

-ˌtȯr-

adjective

profane

2 of 2 adjective

1

: not concerned with religion or religious purposes : secular, worldly

2

: showing no respect for holy things

profane language

profanely adverb