profane
characterized by irreverence or contempt for God or sacred principles or things; irreligious.
not devoted to holy or religious purposes; unconsecrated; secular (opposed to sacred).
unholy; heathen; pagan: profane rites.
not initiated into religious rites or mysteries, as persons.
common or vulgar.
Origin of profane
1Other words for profane
Opposites for profane
Other words from profane
- pro·fane·ly, adverb
- pro·fane·ness, noun
- pro·fan·er, noun
- half-pro·fane, adjective
- non·pro·fane, adjective
- non·pro·fane·ly, adverb
- non·pro·fane·ness, noun
- sem·i·pro·fane, adjective
- sem·i·pro·fane·ly, adverb
- sem·i·pro·fane·ness, noun
- un·pro·fane, adjective
- un·pro·fane·ly, adverb
- un·pro·fane·ness, noun
- un·pro·faned, adjective
Words that may be confused with profane
- lewd, obscene, pornographic, profanatory, profane
Words Nearby profane
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use profane in a sentence
Inside, Norteño music blends with the scent of tacos, and an announcer calls the races in profane Spanish.
In the education reform world, those of us who can retreat to our own sacred places sometimes expect to be praised for the simple reason that we take notice of the profane at all.
The sacred and the profane: A former D.C. charter school board member calls for change | Valerie Strauss | September 23, 2021 | Washington PostWarner’s male managers and colleagues referred to her with a profane epithet, as well as an “idiot,” and a “nobody,” she alleges in her suit.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled for a Pennsylvania cheerleader whose profane off-campus rant cost her a spot on the squad, saying the First Amendment rights of public school students are not to be easily cast aside.
Supreme Court sides with high school cheerleader in free-speech dispute over profane Snapchat rant | Robert Barnes | June 23, 2021 | Washington PostThat word “denialism” is particularly profane, with its unsubtle invocation of the Holocaust.
Why It Was Right to Question Rolling Stone’s U-VA Rape Story | Michael Moynihan | December 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Hers was a warmer, less profane speech, again in memory of a much-missed buddy.
His novel The Last Magazine, published posthumously this month, is just like him: blistering, fun, insightful, and profane.
Charming, profane, alcoholic television anchorman becomes local hero and changes the news business.
From the divine to the profane, what we mean when we say that potent word.
Joan Henry Ursinus died; a Lutheran divine, eminent for his learning in sacred and profane history.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellThose who hold the truth cannot enter into it with the infidel, the unbeliever, the erroneous or profane.
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John CunninghamThat dwell in sepulchres, and sleep in the temple of idols: that eat swine's flesh, and profane broth is in their vessels.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousAnd they shall teach my people the difference between holy and profane, and shew them how to discern between clean and unclean.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousBaltasar's profane banquet: his sentence is denounced by a handwriting on the wall, which Daniel reads and interprets.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
British Dictionary definitions for profane
/ (prəˈfeɪn) /
having or indicating contempt, irreverence, or disrespect for a divinity or something sacred
not designed or used for religious purposes; secular
not initiated into the inner mysteries or sacred rites
vulgar, coarse, or blasphemous: profane language
to treat or use (something sacred) with irreverence
to put to an unworthy or improper use
Origin of profane
1Derived forms of profane
- profanation (ˌprɒfəˈneɪʃən), noun
- profanatory (prəˈfænətərɪ, -trɪ), adjective
- profanely, adverb
- profaneness, noun
- profaner, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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