Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred: Showing disrespect or contempt for religious beliefs, objects, or practices.
   • Not holy; unconsecrated, impure, or defiled: Lacking a sacred or religious character; secular or worldly.
   • Not concerned with or devoted to religion: Relating to or involving secular rather than religious matters.
   • Characterized by profanity or cursing: Using vulgar or blasphemous language.

2. Verb:

   • To violate the sacred character of a place or language: To treat something sacred with irreverence or disrespect, thereby desecrating it.
   • To corrupt morally: To debase or pervert someone's morals, often through intemperance or sensuality.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • His profane jokes about the ceremony offended many believers.
  • The archaeologist carefully separated the sacred artifacts from the profane objects.
  • She leads a profane life, with no interest in spiritual matters.
  • The argument escalated into a stream of profane insults.

• Verb:

  • Invaders profaned the ancient temple by using it as a stable.
  • The dictator's propaganda sought to profane the very language of liberty.
  • He feared that wealth and power would profane his character.

Advanced Usage

• "The profane masses": A term sometimes used to refer to the general, non-religious public, as opposed to a religious elite or clergy.

  • The mystic's teachings were considered too complex for the profane masses.

• "Profane history": History that deals with secular, non-religious events, as opposed to sacred history.

  • The book contrasts sacred scripture with profane history.

Variants and Related Words

• Profanation (n): The act of profaning; desecration.

  • The profanation of the cemetery caused public outrage.

• Profanely (adv): In a profane manner.

  • He swore profanely after hitting his thumb with the hammer.

• Profanity (n): Profane language; blasphemous or vulgar speech.

  • The film was rated R for violence and profanity.

Synonyms

• Adjective (irreverent): Blasphemous, sacrilegious, impious.
• Adjective (secular): Worldly, temporal, nonreligious, lay.
• Verb (desecrate): Defile, violate, debase, degrade.
• Verb (corrupt): Debauch, deprave, pervert, subvert.

Antonyms

• Adjective: Sacred, holy, religious, pious, reverent.
• Verb: Consecrate, sanctify, purify, honor.

Related Phrases

• To profane oneself: To engage in behavior that degrades one's own moral or spiritual standing.

  • He felt he had profaned himself by accepting the bribe.

• The sacred and the profane: A conceptual pair used in sociology and religious studies to distinguish between the realm of the holy and the realm of the everyday secular world.

  • Her research focuses on the intersection of the sacred and the profane in modern art.

Adjective

1. grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred
   • blasphemous rites of a witches' Sabbath
   • profane utterances against the Church
   • it is sacrilegious to enter with shoes on
2. not holy because unconsecrated or impure or defiled
3. not concerned with or devoted to religion
   • sacred and profane music
   • secular drama
   • secular architecture, children being brought up in an entirely profane environment
4. characterized by profanity or cursing
   • foul-mouthed and blasphemous
   • blue language
   • profane words

Verb

1. violate the sacred character of a place or language
   • desecrate a cemetery
   • violate the sanctity of the church
   • profane the name of God
2. corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality
   • debauch the young people with wine and women
   • Socrates was accused of corrupting young men
   • Do school counselors subvert young children?
   • corrupt the morals