as in gentile
a person who does not worship the God of the Bible
the temple was built by pagans in the 4th century as a place to worship their idols
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as in secular
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Recent Examples of pagan
Atlanta Life, ajc, 10 Nov. 2017
While plague stalks the land, paranoid peasants swap cautionary folk tales about evil spirits, pagans, Jews and other outsiders.
—Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2017
Thomas Jefferson had strong views on religion, but his Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom disestablished the Church of England and established religious liberty for Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, even pagans.
—Jonah Goldberg, National Review, 27 Sep. 2017
Thomas Jefferson had strong views on religion, but his Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom disestablished the Church of Englandand established religious liberty for Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, even pagans.
—Jonah Goldberg, Alaska Dispatch News, 27 Sep. 2017
Lance Wallnau, a Christian author, claimed God spoke to him and showed him that Trump was like King Cyrus, who followed God’s will despite being a pagan.
—Colby Itkowitz, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2017
To do Trumpzilla justice, the film should be blustery, spectacular, gold-garish, and neo-pagan, a Circus Maximus Cecil B. DeMille might have whipped up with his riding crop after a fever dream.
—James Wolcott, HWD, 19 June 2017
Kristine Phillips, The Indianapolis Star, 13 Nov. 2024
Defense attorneys for Allen have argued authorities arrested the wrong person and claimed that Odinism, a pagan Norse religion that has been linked to White supremacist groups, could be a theory connected to the killings, court documents show.
—Nicole Chavez, CNN, 18 Oct. 2024
In a memorandum released last year, Allen's attorneys outlined an alternate theory of the girls' killings, saying evidence found at the scene mimicked rituals from a pagan Norse religion called Odinism.
—Jenny Porter Tilley, The Indianapolis Star, 14 Oct. 2024
There’s a lot of folklore, superstition and myth — pagan elements really, that are folded into how people actually practice religion in Ireland.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Overshadowing the square, the Gothic St. Rumbold’s Cathedral was built between 1200 and 1520 to house the remains of local saint Rumbold, who, in the sixth century, converted pagan German tribes to Christianity.
—Barbara Noe Kennedy, Travel + Leisure, 18 June 2024
Baldwin and Rozzi had alleged that members of Odinism, a pagan Norse religion hijacked by white nationalists, are the real killers who ritually sacrificed the teens ― a theory that Allen's new defense team believes has merit.
—The Indianapolis Star, 12 Jan. 2024
The Prophet Muhammad, having conquered all of Arabia in 630, clearing Mecca of its pagan idols in the process, went back two years later on a triumphant pilgrimage.
—Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023
Freud died the next day, surrounded by his pagan gods.
—Elizabeth Winkler, The New Yorker, 23 June 2023
Noun
Church officials decided to recognize Dec. 25 as his birthday, probably to coincide with the date of pagan festivals in an attempt to get pagans to accept Christianity as the official religion.
—Atlanta Life, ajc, 10 Nov. 2017
While plague stalks the land, paranoid peasants swap cautionary folk tales about evil spirits, pagans, Jews and other outsiders.
—Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2017
Thomas Jefferson had strong views on religion, but his Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom disestablished the Church of England and established religious liberty for Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, even pagans.
—Jonah Goldberg, National Review, 27 Sep. 2017
Thomas Jefferson had strong views on religion, but his Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom disestablished the Church of Englandand established religious liberty for Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, even pagans.
—Jonah Goldberg, Alaska Dispatch News, 27 Sep. 2017
Lance Wallnau, a Christian author, claimed God spoke to him and showed him that Trump was like King Cyrus, who followed God’s will despite being a pagan.
—Colby Itkowitz, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2017
To do Trumpzilla justice, the film should be blustery, spectacular, gold-garish, and neo-pagan, a Circus Maximus Cecil B. DeMille might have whipped up with his riding crop after a fever dream.
—James Wolcott, HWD, 19 June 2017
Adjective
Allen's defense team aggressively pushed their theory that Odinists, members of a pagan Norse religion hijacked by white nationalists, killed the girls during a sacrificial ritual in the woods.
—Kristine Phillips, The Indianapolis Star, 13 Nov. 2024
Defense attorneys for Allen have argued authorities arrested the wrong person and claimed that Odinism, a pagan Norse religion that has been linked to White supremacist groups, could be a theory connected to the killings, court documents show.
—Nicole Chavez, CNN, 18 Oct. 2024
In a memorandum released last year, Allen's attorneys outlined an alternate theory of the girls' killings, saying evidence found at the scene mimicked rituals from a pagan Norse religion called Odinism.
—Jenny Porter Tilley, The Indianapolis Star, 14 Oct. 2024
There’s a lot of folklore, superstition and myth — pagan elements really, that are folded into how people actually practice religion in Ireland.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Overshadowing the square, the Gothic St. Rumbold’s Cathedral was built between 1200 and 1520 to house the remains of local saint Rumbold, who, in the sixth century, converted pagan German tribes to Christianity.
—Barbara Noe Kennedy, Travel + Leisure, 18 June 2024
Baldwin and Rozzi had alleged that members of Odinism, a pagan Norse religion hijacked by white nationalists, are the real killers who ritually sacrificed the teens ― a theory that Allen's new defense team believes has merit.
—The Indianapolis Star, 12 Jan. 2024
The Prophet Muhammad, having conquered all of Arabia in 630, clearing Mecca of its pagan idols in the process, went back two years later on a triumphant pilgrimage.
—Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023
Freud died the next day, surrounded by his pagan gods.
—Elizabeth Winkler, The New Yorker, 23 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pagan
Noun
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The legislation, which was enacted by Israel’s parliament in 1950, was designed to strengthen the creation of a Jewish state by welcoming people whose mothers or grandmothers were Jews, as well as gentiles who had converted to Judaism.Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Nov. 2024
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There was constant fighting between the gentile and the Jewish children.Linda Chase, Sun Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2024
Adjective
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Christmas movies—secular and religious—are a great way to remind us that there’s more to this time of year than shopping deals and presents.Erik Kain, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
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Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, meaning it is not affiliated with any religion and is instead observed along with other major secular and religious holidays.Olivia Rose, The Arizona Republic, 3 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Clearly the most godless Man of God Garfield has played — the one-two of playing a televangelist here and a Mormon cop in Under the Banner of Heaven makes for a religious diptych that’s uniquely American. tick, tick … BOOM!Rory Doherty, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2024
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His notoriously pornographic breakthrough novel, The Elementary Particles, trafficked in masturbation, flashing, orgies, and child rape but really amounted to a diatribe against a godless materialism.Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Currently, roughly 70 percent of active-duty personnel identify as Christian, with substantial numbers of atheists, agnostics, Jews, Muslims, and affiliates of Eastern religions in the ranks.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
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My father was a strict atheist, and my mother was agnostic.Calvin Tomkins, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Finishing off the top 5 is religious flick The Forge with an irreligious weekend take-home of $6.6.Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2024
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From its earliest days in the nineteenth century and until the Holocaust, the Orthodox rabbinate in eastern Europe was not enthusiastic about the Zionist movement, which at the time was led by irreligious Jews.Elliott Abrams, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2011
Adjective
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Some nonreligious customs of celebration include eating certain treats, giving children gifts of chocolate coins and playing with a dreidel.Chris Sims, The Courier-Journal, 3 Dec. 2024
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According to the lawsuit, the TDCJ had previously allowed employees to wear head coverings for both religious and nonreligious purposes — including baseball caps.Serena Lin, Austin American-Statesman, 3 May 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near pagan
Cite this Entry
“Pagan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pagan. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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