irreligious
Americanadjective
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not religious; not practicing a religion and feeling no religious impulses or emotions.
-
showing or characterized by a lack of religion.
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showing indifference or hostility to religion.
irreligious statements.
- Synonyms:
- ungodly, sacrilegious, profane
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of irreligious
From the Latin word irreligiōsus, dating back to 1555–65. See ir- 2, religious
Explanation
If you're irreligious, you don't believe in a religion, and you may even feel some bitterness toward religion in general. Being irreligious can vary from not caring one way or another about religion to actively opposing the very idea of religion. Atheism — not believing in any god — and agnosticism — doubting the existence of god — are seen as irreligious. You're also irreligious if you do believe in god but don't belong to a religious group or attend religious services. The ir- prefix, not, is attached to religious, "believing in a religion."
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.
Smith and his friend David Hume, the great irreligious Edinburgh philosopher, were among the leading lights in the Scottish Enlightenment of the late 18th century.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
"Not only is this a sacred day, the most sacred in the Jewish calendar, but it's also a time of mass gathering, and the time when the Jewish community, however religious or irreligious, gathers together."
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2025
“It’s not the revolution that turned some into atheists or irreligious; the revolution gave them the freedom and courage to speak up,” Elmihy said.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2023
A Christmas Eve gathering might assemble irreligious friends, a meet-the-artist event at the shop might end up twice the size at her place.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2022
And it was not until 1799, after republican and irreligious France had set the example, that it was legally abolished.”
From Theological Essays by Charles Bradlaugh
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.
