What does profane mean?

Definitions for profane
prəˈfeɪn, proʊ-pro·fane

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word profane.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. blasphemous, blue, profaneadjective

    characterized by profanity or cursing

    "foul-mouthed and blasphemous"; "blue language"; "profane words"

  2. profane, secularadjective

    not concerned with or devoted to religion

    "sacred and profane music"; "secular drama"; "secular architecture", "children being brought up in an entirely profane environment"

  3. profane, unconsecrated, unsanctifiedadjective

    not holy because unconsecrated or impure or defiled

  4. blasphemous, profane, sacrilegiousverb

    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"

  5. corrupt, pervert, subvert, demoralize, demoralise, debauch, debase, profane, vitiate, deprave, misdirectverb

    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"

  6. desecrate, profane, outrage, violateverb

    violate the sacred character of a place or language

    "desecrate a cemetery"; "violate the sanctity of the church"; "profane the name of God"

Wiktionary

  1. profanenoun

    A person or thing that is profane.

  2. profanenoun

    A person not a Mason.

  3. profaneverb

    To violate, as anything sacred; to treat with abuse, irreverence, obloquy, or contempt; to desecrate; to pollute; as, to profane the name of God; to profane the Scriptures, or the ordinance of God.

  4. profaneverb

    To put to a wrong or unworthy use; to make a base employment of; to debase; to abuse; to defile.

  5. profaneadjective

    Unclean; ritually impure; unholy, desecrating a holy place or thing.

  6. profaneadjective

    Not sacred or holy, unconsecrated; relating to non-religious matters, secular.

  7. profaneadjective

    Treating sacred things with contempt, disrespect, irreverence, or undue familiarity; blasphemous, impious. Hence, specifically; Irreverent in language; taking the name of God in vain; given to swearing; blasphemous; as, a profane person, word, oath, or tongue.

  8. Etymology: From prophane, from profanus, from pro- + fanum.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. PROFANEadjective

    Etymology: profane, Fr. from profanus, Lat.

    Profane fellow!
    Wert thou the son of Jupiter, and no more
    But what thou art besides, thou wert too base
    To be his groom. William Shakespeare, Cymbeline.

    These have caused the weak to stumble, and the profane to blaspheme, offending the one, and hardening the other. South.

    The universality of the deluge is attested by profane history; for the fame of it is gone through the earth, and there are records or traditions concerning it in all parts of this and the new-found world. Thomas Burnet, Theory of the Earth.

    Nothing is profane that serveth to holy things. Walter Raleigh.

    Far hence be souls profane,
    The Sibyl cry’d, and from the grove abstain. Dryden.

  2. To Profaneverb

    Etymology: profano, Lat. profaner, Fr.

    He then, that is not furnish’d in this fort,
    Doth but usurp the sacred name of knight,
    Profaning this most honourable order. William Shakespeare.

    Foretasted fruit
    Profan’d first by the serpent, by him first
    Made common and unhallow’d. John Milton.

    Pity the temple profaned of ungodly men. 2 Mac. viii. 2.

    How far have we
    Profan’d thy heav’nly gift of poesy?
    Made prostitute and profligate the muse,
    Debas’d. Dryden.

    I feel me much to blame.
    So idly to profane the precious time. William Shakespeare.

ChatGPT

  1. profane

    Profane generally refers to behavior, language, or attitudes that show disrespect for religion, religious practices, or a religious deity. It can also refer to something that is not concerned with religion or religious purposes. In a broader context, profane can merely mean vulgar, obscene or disrespectful behavior or language.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Profaneadjective

    not sacred or holy; not possessing peculiar sanctity; unconsecrated; hence, relating to matters other than sacred; secular; -- opposed to sacred, religious, or inspired; as, a profane place

  2. Profaneadjective

    unclean; impure; polluted; unholy

  3. Profaneadjective

    treating sacred things with contempt, disrespect, irreverence, or undue familiarity; irreverent; impious

  4. Profaneadjective

    irreverent in language; taking the name of God in vain; given to swearing; blasphemous; as, a profane person, word, oath, or tongue

  5. Profaneadjective

    to violate, as anything sacred; to treat with abuse, irreverence, obloquy, or contempt; to desecrate; to pollute; as, to profane the name of God; to profane the Scriptures, or the ordinance of God

  6. Profaneadjective

    to put to a wrong or unworthy use; to make a base employment of; to debase; to abuse; to defile

  7. Etymology: [L. profanare: cf. F. profaner. See Profane, a.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Profane

    prō-fān′, adj. not sacred: common: secular: speaking or acting in contempt of sacred things: uninitiated: impious: impure.—v.t. to violate anything holy: to abuse anything sacred: to put to a wrong use: to pollute: to debase.—n. Profanā′tion, desecration: irreverence to what is holy: a treating of anything with disrespect.—adj. Profan′atory.—adv. Profane′ly.—ns. Profane′ness; Profān′er; Profan′ity, irreverence: that which is profane: profane language or conduct. [Fr.,—L. profanuspro, before, fanum, a temple.]

Suggested Resources

  1. profane

    Song lyrics by profane -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by profane on the Lyrics.com website.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of profane in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of profane in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of profane in a Sentence

  1. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer:

    Which isn't a lot. But this primary is just getting started.Both of these things can't be trueTrump's main pitch for reelection is the economy and, while it hasn't lived up to his 2016 campaign promises, he put forward an extremely rosy outlook in his annual budget proposal, released Monday.Just as an example, read from CNN's story about the predicted deficits in Trump's budget compared to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.Both of these things cannot be true:CBO says budget will grow -- The deficit -- the gap between how much the government spends versus how much it takes in -- surpassed $1 trillion for the calendar year in 2019, marking the first time since 2012.That number is only expected to widen even further over the coming decade, reaching a total of $1.7 trillion in 2030, according to the latest projections by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released in late January.White House says budget will shrink -- That's a sharp contrast to the White House's latest blueprint, which projects that the deficit will shrink to $261 billion by 2030. The President's budget assumes that the economy will grow at around 3% annually during that period of time helping to narrow the gap. Those estimates are significantly higher than what most economists anticipated along with the Federal Reserve.Bonus: Read CNN reporter Donna Borak's piece on the White House plan for more tax cuts despite the deficits.Impeachment falloutGiuliani has a channel to Barr -- Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Rudy Giuliani is giving information regarding his Ukraine conspiracy theories to Attorney General William Barr through some sort of special channel Barr has set up. This is not surprising since Trump clearly lumps his lawyer and the attorney general together. He asked Ukraine's President to be in touch with both of them. But a back channel to the DOJ? This is, um, not how things are supposed to work, writes Elie Honig.Trump weaponizes the presidency -- Read this from Stephen Collinson: (Trump) is completing his project of fashioning the office around his own personality. It's unrestrained, unaccountable, often profane, impervious to outside influence and factual constraints of normal governance. The President has established dominance over his party, his Cabinet and his own media complex. He loosened Congress's constraints by refusing to cooperate with the impeachment probe. The result is that there are very few political constraints on his behavior left.

  2. George Washington:

    The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it.

  3. Robert Burns:

    The great Creator to revereMust sure become the creatureBut still the preaching cant forbear,And ev'n the rigid featureYet ne'er with wits profane to rangeBe complaisance extendedAn atheist laugh's a poor exchangeFor deity offended.

  4. Ralph Waldo Emerson:

    No facts are to me sacred none are profane I simply experiment, an endless seeker with no Past at my back.

  5. Henry Van Dyke:

    Half of the secular unrest and dismal, profane sadness of modern society comes from the vain ideas that every man is bound to be a critic for life.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

profane#10000#32543#100000

Translations for profane

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • profanarSpanish
  • بی حرمتی کردنPersian
  • rienaava, profaani, maallinen, häpäistäFinnish
  • sacrilège, profane, impur, sale, profanerFrench
  • अपवित्रHindi
  • dissacrato, sacrilego, blasfemo, secolare, profano, sconsacrato, empio, profanatoItalian
  • профан, световенMacedonian
  • profanoPortuguese
  • богохульныйRussian

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"profane." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/profane>.

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