profane
profane Lexical Profile
profane Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Caracterized by coarse, vulgar, or obscene language.
"The broadcast was fined by regulators after a guest launched into a profane tirade on live television."
Showing disrespect or contempt for sacred things; irreverent or blasphemous.
"The critic accused the playwright of using profane imagery that mocked traditional religious ceremonies."
Relating or devoted to that which is not sacred or biblical; secular rather than religious.
"Renaissance composers excelled in both sacred liturgical works and profane madrigals about courtly love."
• verb
To treat (something sacred) with irreverence, disrespect, or contempt; to desecrate.
"Invading soldiers profaned the ancient temple by looting its altars and defacing its shrines."
To put (something worthy of respect or honor) to an unworthy, base, or degrading use.
"He felt the artist had profaned a noble literary tradition by turning the classic poem into a commercial jingle."
Word Nuance & Usage
In academic and religious studies, 'profane' is often used neutrally to mean 'secular' or 'non-religious' in contrast to 'sacred', whereas in everyday conversation it almost exclusively carries the negative meaning of 'vulgar' or 'blasphemous'.
• Rhymes for profane
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 15th century from Old French 'profane', from Latin 'profanus', literally meaning 'outside the temple' (from 'pro-' meaning 'before, outside' and 'fanum' meaning 'temple' or 'sacred precinct').