profane
Americanadjective
-
characterized by irreverence or contempt for God or sacred principles or things; irreligious.
- Synonyms:
- ungodly, impious, sacrilegious, blasphemous
- Antonyms:
- sacred
-
not devoted to holy or religious purposes; unconsecrated; secular (opposed to sacred).
- Synonyms:
- temporal
- Antonyms:
- spiritual
-
unholy; heathen; pagan.
profane rites.
- Synonyms:
- unhallowed
- Antonyms:
- holy
-
not initiated into religious rites or mysteries, as persons.
-
common or vulgar.
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
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
verb
-
to treat or use (something sacred) with irreverence
-
to put to an unworthy or improper use
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nonprofanelyadverb
-
profanatoryadjective
-
unprofanelyadverb
-
nonprofanenessnoun
-
unprofanedadjective
-
profanationnoun
-
semiprofanelyadverb
-
semiprofaneadjective
-
half-profaneadjective
-
nonprofaneadjective
-
unprofanenessnoun
-
profanelyadverb
-
profanernoun
-
semiprofanenessnoun
-
unprofaneadjective
-
profanenessnoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have profanedperfect
-
has profanedperfect 3rd person singular
-
is profaningprogressive 3rd person singular
-
has been profaningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
are profaningprogressive
-
profaningparticiple
-
profanessingular 3rd person
-
am profaningprogressive 1st person singular
-
have been profaningperfect progressive
Past
-
had profanedperfect
-
had been profaningperfect progressive
-
profanedparticiple
-
profanedsimple
-
was profaningprogressive singular
-
were profaningprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of profane
1350–1400; (adj.) < Latin profānus literally, before (outside of ) the temple; replacing Middle English prophane < Medieval Latin prophānus desecrated ( see pro- 1, fane); (v.) < Latin profānāre, derivative of profānus; replacing Middle English prophanen < Medieval Latin prophānāre to desecrate
Explanation
Profane language is the kind that gets bleeped on TV. The word profane can also describe behavior that's deeply offensive because it shows a lack of respect, especially for someone's religious beliefs. The Latin root profanus means "unholy," and that's where it all started. If you take the Lord's name in vain, you've profaned Him and probably made your religious mom pretty angry too. Don't even try the profane curse words so vital to a truly great hip-hop track but perhaps not recommended for dinner with Grandma.
Vocabulary lists containing profane
Romeo and Juliet
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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Grade 11, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On a never-ending feed we watch the cute and profane, sleepwalking toward an emotional state beyond shock as entertainment: the banality of passive consumption.
From Slate • May 12, 2026
The artist initially intended to create five matching versions of his toilet, which he titled “America” as a way to question which spaces in a museum get deemed sacred versus profane.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025
The Church saw vinum clarum as a profane wine, and its consumption was not imbued with Christian symbolism, nor attached to any table ceremony.
From Salon • Jul. 15, 2024
He’s at home with the sacred and the profane.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 30, 2023
It was, Darwin knew, an explicitly profane diagram.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
