profane

[pruh-feyn, proh-]

adjective

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.

verb (used with object), pro·faned, pro·fan·ing.

to misuse (anything that should be held in reverence or respect); defile; debase; employ basely or unworthily.

to treat (anything sacred) with irreverence or contempt; violate the sanctity of: to profane a shrine.

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

SYNONYMS FOR profane

1. blasphemous, sacrilegious, impious, ungodly. 2. temporal. 3. unhallowed. 5. low, mean, base. 7. desecrate.

ANTONYMS FOR profane

1. sacred. 2. spiritual. 3. holy.

Related forms

pro·fane·ly, adverbpro·fane·ness, nounpro·fan·er, nounhalf-pro·fane, adjective

non·pro·fane, adjectivenon·pro·fane·ly, adverbnon·pro·fane·ness, nounsem·i·pro·fane, adjectivesem·i·pro·fane·ly, adverbsem·i·pro·fane·ness, nounun·pro·fane, adjectiveun·pro·fane·ly, adverbun·pro·fane·ness, nounun·pro·faned, adjective

Can be confusedlewd obscene pornographic profanatory profane

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for profanely

For us, this is Louis C.K. and his crabby, melancholic, and profanely funny half-hour comedy.
Why Is Louis C.K. So Funny? He Uses Humor as a Moral Compass.|Andrew Romano|May 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Portlaw profanely requested information as to how the place was to be kept going.
The Firing Line|Robert W. Chambers
Mrs. Rocket wasn't so young as she had been, and Billy was too young to take up with what he profanely called "old ladies."
Ask Momma|R. S. Surtees
He could no more have said them than he could have profanely touched her.
The Bishop of Cottontown|John Trotwood Moore

For this he was profanely admonished by the captain and ridiculed by the men.
"Where Angels Fear to Tread" and Other Stories of the Sea|Morgan Robertson
If she did she would be thereby committing herself to what Miss Todd had profanely called the broad way.
Miss Mackenzie|Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for profanely

profane

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 blasphemousprofane language

verb (tr)

to treat or use (something sacred) with irreverence

to put to an unworthy or improper use

Derived Forms

profanation (ˌprɒfəˈneɪʃən), nounprofanatory (prəˈfænətərɪ, -trɪ), adjectiveprofanely, adverbprofaneness, noun

profaner, noun

Word Origin for profane

C15: from Latin profānus outside the temple, from pro- 1 + fānum temple

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

Word Origin and History for profanely

profane

late 14c., from Old French profaner, prophaner (13c.) and directly from Latin profanare "to desecrate, render unholy, violate," from profanus "unholy, not consecrated" (see profane (adj.)). Related: Profaned; profaning.

profane

adj.

mid-15c., "un-ecclesiastical, secular," from Old French profane (12c.) and directly from Latin profanus "unholy, not consecrated," according to Barnhart from pro fano "not admitted into the temple (with the initiates)," literally "out in front of the temple," from pro- "before" (see pro-) + fano, ablative of fanum "temple" (see feast (n.)). Sense of "unholy, polluted" is recorded from c.1500. Related: Profanely.

profane

adjective

verb (used with object), pro·faned, pro·fan·ing.

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Nearby words

Origin of profane

Examples from the Web for profanely

profane

adjective

verb (tr)

Word Origin for profane

profane

profane