professed

[ pruh-fest ]

See synonyms for professed on Thesaurus.com

adjective

avowed; acknowledged.
professing to be qualified; professional, rather than amateur.

having taken the vows of, or been received into, a religious order.
alleged; pretended.

Origin of professed

1300–50; Middle English (in religious sense) <Medieval Latin profess(us) (special use of Latin professus, past participle of profitērī to declare publicly, equivalent to pro-pro-¹ + -fet-, combining form of fatērī to acknowledge + -tus past participle suffix, with tt>ss) + -ed²

Other words from professed

half-pro·fessed, adjective
non·pro·fessed, adjective
self-pro·fessed, adjective
un·pro·fessed, adjective

Words Nearby professed

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use professed in a sentence

Whatever his professed intent, his actual motive was found in that action.
Kyle Rittenhouse’s Future Looks HIdeously Bright | Kali Holloway | November 19, 2021 | The Daily Beast
In his professed victimization by the media and the “elites,” his followers see their own victimization.
Our constitutional crisis is already here | Robert Kagan | September 23, 2021 | Washington Post
It builds on Republican senators’ breaking their own professed standard from 2016 about no appointments to the high court in a year of Presidential voting.
Cure for a sickening appointment | Hans Johnson | October 30, 2020 | Washington Blade
Joe Biden and John McCain professed undying love and loyalty for each other, even though, as Biden noted, “I drive him crazy.”
Kissy-Face The Nation: Washington’s Power Elite Smooch Bob Schieffer | Lloyd Grove | November 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
As a professed bi-sexual, Evans is misunderstood by those who find her choices offensive.
Risky Business or None of Your Business? Gay XXX Films and the Condom Question | Aurora Snow | November 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

And by the way, if we really are just a colony of Europe, where did the rock and roll she professed to love so much come from?
Still Desperately Seeking Susan Sontag | Allen Barra | September 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And yet, we witness professed Christians like Paul Ryan putting forward budgets that would eviscerate our common safety net.
When Did ‘Dependence’ Become a Dirty Word? | Gene Robinson | April 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
After all, both were in the 1930s, both involved kids wearing uniforms, both movements professed the goal of social uplift.
CVS, Smokes and ‘Liberal Fascism’ | Michael Tomasky | February 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He professed both to abominate and despise all mystery, refinement, and intrigue, either in a prince or a minister.
Gulliver's Travels | Jonathan Swift
My mother opposed her vow to his; not to suffer her child to leave her, till the time of her being professed.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
Hence, in their professed attempt to aid the memory, they really impose a new and additional burden upon it.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
He repudiated his oath at Carlisle as extorted by force and intimidation, and professed a compelling sense of patriotism.
King Robert the Bruce | A. F. Murison
They professed a decided preference for nullifying the Stamp Act without violating it.
The Eve of the Revolution | Carl Becker

British Dictionary definitions for professed

professed

/ (prəˈfɛst) /

adjective(prenominal)

avowed or acknowledged
alleged or pretended

professing to be qualified as: a professed philosopher
having taken vows of a religious order

Derived forms of professed

professedly (prəˈfɛsɪdlɪ), adverb

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

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