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 secular
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
Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
By putting religious and profane art together—a picture of Christ on one wall and Apollo on another, both equalized in their prettiness—Raphael triggered centuries of decadence.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
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
Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine), who has endorsed Porter, points to the late beloved, oft-profane legislative leader John Burton of San Francisco as an example of a double standard.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
By putting religious and profane art together—a picture of Christ on one wall and Apollo on another, both equalized in their prettiness—Raphael triggered centuries of decadence.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
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
-
The patterns for specific cities aren’t predictable like temporal seasons, reflecting instead unique elements of each.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
-
But during the imaging process, doctors noticed something else entirely — a four-centimeter mass in the left temporal region of Linkin's brain.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
The docudrama drew large crowds in France last year despite criticism from some secular and Catholic sources.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
-
Moreover, Christian humanists believe the sacred-secular divide that many Christians embrace is not just artificial but profoundly misguided.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Karen Read filed her lawsuit against Canton and the MSP not only to reveal shockingly obscene and racist text messages between key cops investigating her — but also to relitigate the defense theory of conspiracy to frame her.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
7 June 2026
-
The Seleção has been knocked out in the quarterfinals in four of the last five tournaments and finished fourth in 2014, which featured an obscene 7-1 drubbing against Germany in the semifinal.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Americans are angry that their kids are being indoctrinated into a left-wing ideology intended to infiltrate their hearts and corrupt their moral center.—
Rachel del Guidice,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
-
Character also involves standing up to people who are bankrupting and corrupting this country.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Identity theft protection can help monitor for signs that your personal information is being misused.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
If the same engine can run with softer brakes in trusted channels, regulators may ask whether the brakes can be stripped, bypassed or misused.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
In 2014, Smith served a nine-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2026
-
He was suspended multiple times during his career for infractions including violating the league's substance abuse and personal conduct policy.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
My brothers-in-law and their spouses give their parents only limited amounts of time on holidays and limited physical assistance to their parents only if my husband begs for help.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
13 June 2026
-
The goal is to lower barriers to humanoid robotics development and enable a wider community to experiment with motion learning and physical AI systems.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
His father's death during World War II influenced his pursuit of the ministry even amid the officially atheistic communist regime of the Soviet Union, according to his obituary on the OCU website.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
But there has been a recent rise in secular congregations that explicitly mimic religious organizations and rituals to celebrate atheistic worldviews.—
Jacqui Frost,
The Conversation,
11 Jan. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Profane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profane. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
