1
as in temporal
not involving religion or religious matters
it was hard to juggle the requirements of church and our more profane duties
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in atheistical
not showing proper reverence for the holy or sacred
offended by the profane language that her coworkers used so casually
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
his idea of dinner table conversation is the telling of profane stories about his alleged sexual exploits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to corrupt
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
the once-lovely landscape had been profaned by ugly factories
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to misuse
to put to a bad or improper use
profaned his considerable acting talents by appearing in some wretched movies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to violate
to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect
invading troops profaned the altar by playing poker on it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 profane
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
Private messages also became part of the trial, with plaintiffs showing internal messages where CNN's reporter, Alex Marquardt, said some profane and unflattering things about Young.
—CBS News, 17 Jan. 2025
Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2021
The narrative is that of a leader who has experienced vilification at the hands of enemies who are both secular (and thus profane) and intensely demonic.
—Federico Finchelstein, The New Republic, 3 Nov. 2020
See all Example Sentences for profane 
Adjective
Flash forward 92-plus years to Donald Trump’s rally Sunday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, a bleak, lurid festival of racist hate and profane vituperation so vile that even fellow Republicans, who have turned a blind eye to Trump’s character for years, are distancing themselves from the event.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
Private messages also became part of the trial, with plaintiffs showing internal messages where CNN's reporter, Alex Marquardt, said some profane and unflattering things about Young.
—CBS News, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
Her husband, the exuberant and often profane former Dodgers manager who won two World Series championships, died Jan. 7 at 93.
—Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2021
The narrative is that of a leader who has experienced vilification at the hands of enemies who are both secular (and thus profane) and intensely demonic.
—Federico Finchelstein, The New Republic, 3 Nov. 2020
See all Example Sentences for profane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profane
Adjective
-
Great vacations exist in a temporal netherworld, unmoored from the reality of daily life.—
Sofia Perez,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Jan. 2025
-
The Apocalypse was a way out, a temporal doorway to God and Heaven.—
Arthur Krystal,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
So Far Layton’s contributions also include a playfully obscene drawing that Cohen faxed to her, the photograph of Ihlen used on the back cover of Cohen’s Songs from a Room, and the key to an entrance of Cohen’s apartment on the Greek island of Hydra.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
30 Jan. 2025
-
Following an extensive investigation, police said detectives obtained an arrest warrant charging 29-year-old Curtis Field of Vernon with disseminating obscene material to a minor.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
29 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The media, the intelligence community, the military, law enforcement — by this screen legend’s usual estimation, these are potentially noble, valuable institutions corrupted from within.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
13 Jan. 2025
-
The two companies are suing the federal government, contending that politics corrupted its review process.—
Santul Nerkar,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Live location tracking could be misused by stalkers or those with bad intentions.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
30 Jan. 2025
-
Regulations set forth by agencies like FinCEN, SEC, FINRA and the OCC serve as the foundation to promote financial transparency and deter and detect those who misuse the U.S. Financial System to launder criminal proceeds or finance terrorist acts.—
Indranil Debnath,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Passengers whose attire or tattoos violate these guidelines may be denied boarding or even removed from a flight.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
24 Jan. 2025
-
In one instance, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Department of Homeland Security's 2017 decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program violated that law, the Administrative Procedure Act.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
West’s hellfire-and-locust symbolism parodied biblical judgment, but such shame no longer applies to current secular permissiveness or the progressive ideology in Marxist writer Mike Davis’s City of Quartz (1990), famous for its subversive condemnation of Los Angeles’s capitalist elitism.—
Armond White,
National Review,
31 Jan. 2025
-
Americans who treasure what has truly made our country great — a secular Constitution that keeps religion out of our laws and social policies — must speak up to safeguard democracy for ourselves and future generations.—
Annie Laurie Gaylor,
Orlando Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The footage shows Caldwell calling the nearby Packers fans vulgar and sexist names, while taunting the man accompanying her with explicit gestures.—
Jackson Thompson,
Fox News,
18 Jan. 2025
-
Michael Thomas Lewis, 55, let out multiple outbursts during his first appearance in court since he was arrested over the weekend and accused of making a series of vulgar, threatening online statements at Clark, the Indiana Fever superstar.—
Samira Puskar,
NBC News,
14 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
This action further degrades ISIS's ability to plot and conduct terrorist attacks threatening U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians.—
Michael Dorgan,
Fox News,
1 Feb. 2025
-
Throbbing and thumping bass frequencies, which are harder to tame than higher frequencies like splashy cymbals and twangy guitars, will typically degrade the audio quality in smaller rooms.—
Parker Hall,
WIRED,
30 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near profane
Cite this Entry
“Profane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profane. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share