Profane

/pɹəˈfeɪn/ · adjective

Meaning

Unclean; ritually impure; unholy, desecrating a holy place or thing..

Definitions by Sense

1. Unclean; ritually impure; unholy, desecrating a holy place or thing.
2. Not sacred or holy, unconsecrated; relating to non-religious matters, secular.
3. Treating sacred things with contempt, disrespect, irreverence, or scorn; blasphemous, impious.
4. Irreverent in language; taking the name of God in vain.
5. A person or thing that is profane.
6. (Freemasonry) A person not a Mason.
7. (transitive) To violate (something sacred); to treat with abuse, irreverence, obloquy, or contempt; to desecrate
8. (transitive) To put to a wrong or unworthy use; to debase; to abuse; to defile.

Example Sentences

Nothing is profane that serveth to the use of holy things.

profane authors

A sonnet in praise of Rome was accepted as the effusion of genius and gratitude; and after the whole procession had visited the Vatican, the profane wreath was suspended before the shrine.

The sacred is the emotional force which connects the part to the whole; the profane or the secular is that which has been broken off from, or has fallen off, its emotional bond to the universe.

a profane person, word, oath, or tongue

the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane

When asked to explain why he became a landlord, he told the Archbishop of York it was so he could close the pub on Sundays, and suppress the profane language and singing that came through the bar windows.

The nuns were employed in religious duties established in honour of St Clare, and to which no profane was ever admitted.

Synonyms for profane

Antonyms for profane

Related Words

Word Forms

• profaner
• more profane
• profanest
• most profane
• prophane
• profanes
• profaning
• profaned

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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