professing
Verb (present participle / gerund): * Openly declaring or claiming a belief, opinion, or feeling: The act of stating something openly and publicly, often a personal conviction, faith, or stance. * Affirming one's faith or allegiance: Specifically, the act of declaring one's religious belief or commitment. * Pretending or claiming falsely: The act of making a declaration that is insincere or not truthful.
- Verb (gerund):
- He was professing his love for classical music to anyone who would listen.
- The politician kept professing her innocence despite the evidence.
- Many scholars in the Middle Ages were professing Christianity while also studying ancient philosophy.
- "Professing to be": Claiming to have a certain quality, skill, or identity, sometimes with a hint of doubt about the truthfulness.
- He is always professing to be an expert, but his advice is rarely useful.
- Profession (n): A declaration or avowal; also, a paid occupation or a body of people in a particular occupation.
- His profession of faith was moving.
- She is a lawyer by profession.
- Professor (n): A senior teacher in a university or college. (Historically linked to one who 'professes' knowledge).
- Professional (adj/n): Related to a profession; or a person engaged in a specific activity as a paid occupation.
- Declaring: Announcing formally or officially.
- Asserting: Stating a fact or belief confidently and forcefully.
- Avowing: Affirming or confessing openly.
- Claiming: Stating something as a fact without providing proof.
- A professing Christian/Muslim/etc.: A person who openly declares their adherence to a particular faith.
- She is a professing Buddhist and meditates daily.
The word "professing" primarily functions as the present participle or gerund of the verb "profess." Its meaning spans a spectrum from sincere declaration to potential pretense, with the context determining the interpretation. The noun form "professing" (as in "an open avowal") is less common in modern usage than the related noun "profession."
- an open avowal (true or false) of some belief or opinion
- a profession of disagreement