PROFANE
Dictionary entry overview: What does profane mean?
• PROFANE (adjective)
The adjective PROFANE has 4 senses:
1. characterized by profanity or cursing
2. not sacred or concerned with religion
3. not holy because unconsecrated or impure or defiled
4. grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred
Familiarity information: PROFANE used as an adjective is uncommon.
• PROFANE (verb)
The verb PROFANE has 2 senses:
1. corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality
2. violate the sacred character of a place or language
Familiarity information: PROFANE used as a verb is rare.
Dictionary entry details
• PROFANE (adjective)
Meaning:
Characterized by profanity or cursing
Synonyms:
profane; blasphemous; blue
Context examples:
foul-mouthed and blasphemous / blue language / profane words
Similar:
dirty ((of behavior or especially language) characterized by obscenity or indecency)
Meaning:
Not sacred or concerned with religion
Context examples:
sacred and profane music / children being brought up in an entirely profane environment
Similar:
secularised; secularized (made secular)
profanatory (profaning or tending to desecrate)
laic; lay; secular (concerning those not members of the clergy)
temporal; worldly (concerned with secular rather than sacred matters)
Also:
impious (lacking piety or reverence for a god)
earthly (of or belonging to or characteristic of this earth as distinguished from heaven)
Antonym:
sacred (concerned with religion or religious purposes)
Meaning:
Not holy because unconsecrated or impure or defiled
Synonyms:
unconsecrated; unsanctified; profane
Similar:
unhallowed; unholy (not hallowed or consecrated)
Meaning:
Grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred
Synonyms:
blasphemous; sacrilegious; profane
Context examples:
blasphemous rites of a witches' Sabbath / profane utterances against the Church / it is sacrilegious to enter with shoes on
Similar:
irreverent (showing lack of due respect or veneration)
• PROFANE (verb)
Meaning:
Corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
vitiate; profane; pervert; misdirect; deprave; demoralize; demoralise; debauch; debase; corrupt; subvert
Context examples:
debauch the young people with wine and women / Socrates was accused of corrupting young men / Do school counselors subvert young children? / corrupt the morals
Hypernyms (to "profane" is one way to...):
alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "profane"):
carnalise; carnalize; sensualise; sensualize (debase through carnal gratification)
infect (contaminate with ideas or an ideology)
lead astray; lead off (teach immoral behavior to)
whore (corrupt by lewd intercourse)
poison (spoil as if by poison)
bastardise; bastardize (change something so that its value declines; for example, art forms)
suborn (incite to commit a crime or an evil deed)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Meaning:
Violate the sacred character of a place or language
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
desecrate; outrage; profane; violate
Context examples:
desecrate a cemetery / violate the sanctity of the church / profane the name of God
Hypernyms (to "profane" is one way to...):
assail; assault; attack; set on (attack someone physically or emotionally)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
