as in atheistical
not showing proper reverence for the holy or sacred
irreverent behavior during church services
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Recent Examples of irreverent
The film follows an ensemble of campers who are weary of platitudes about grief, and speak to one another from a place of radical honesty that is by turns heartbreaking and darkly hilarious, embracing irreverent humor as a cathartic means of self-expression.
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Addie Morfoot, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Grok, named after the term coined by sci-fi author Robert A. Heinlein and modeled after the irreverent tone of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, is designed to be a companion, a guide — and, apparently, quite a bit of a troublemaker.
—Anisha Sircar, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
At that time, writers like Ashbery and Frank O’Hara were helping to establish a new idiom in American poetry, something serious without self-seriousness: the new poetry was open to the city’s rhythms, irreverent but tender—and clearly, if not openly, gay.
—David S. Wallace, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2025
Nihilistic action comedies such as Novocaine are built on juxtaposing irreverent humor with cathartic carnage, which can sometimes feel off-putting and contrived.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irreverent
Addie Morfoot, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Grok, named after the term coined by sci-fi author Robert A. Heinlein and modeled after the irreverent tone of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, is designed to be a companion, a guide — and, apparently, quite a bit of a troublemaker.
—Anisha Sircar, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
At that time, writers like Ashbery and Frank O’Hara were helping to establish a new idiom in American poetry, something serious without self-seriousness: the new poetry was open to the city’s rhythms, irreverent but tender—and clearly, if not openly, gay.
—David S. Wallace, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2025
Nihilistic action comedies such as Novocaine are built on juxtaposing irreverent humor with cathartic carnage, which can sometimes feel off-putting and contrived.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irreverent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irreverent
Adjective
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But Roth argued that allowing groups like Catholic Charities to qualify — where their work is largely identical to secular groups in the state — could incentivize states to cut back on religious accommodations altogether.—
Ella Lee,
The Hill,
31 Mar. 2025
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But Pew also found in a separate survey that more than one in five Israeli Jews had switched between Jewish religious sectors — going from secular to religious Zionist, for example, or traditional to haredi Orthodox.—
Grace Gilson,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Suggestions of changing head coach would now be borderline blasphemous for many Newcastle supporters, despite significant social-media murmurings before the nine-game winning run from mid-December.—
Chris Waugh,
The Athletic,
18 Mar. 2025
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Rushdie has received death threats ever since 1989, starting with the publication of his novel The Satanic Verses, which was declared by some as blasphemous.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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For Western audiences, this abrupt pause may seem like a momentum-killer or even sacrilegious.—
Viren Naidu,
IndieWire,
24 Mar. 2025
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The solution, too good to spoil here, involves a sacrilegious yet principled breach of a basic rule—and a tweak to a pitcher’s very identity.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This game must have seemed profane to the Greeks, or even impious.—
Simone Weil,
Harper's Magazine,
2 July 2024
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Both narratives, private and public, differently restrict our access, so the ideal historian will need great tact and an impious curiosity.—
James Wood,
The New Yorker,
4 Sep. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Irreverent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irreverent. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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