profane means unclean; ritually impure; unholy, desecrating a holy place or thing. It carries an Arena rating of 1650, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, profane ranks #1,876 of 14,308 for Most Malleable Words, #2,317 of 14,444 for Most Exacting Words, #2,350 of 14,448 for Most Incisive Words, #2,580 of 14,456 for The Improbable.
profane is pronounced /pɹəˈfeɪn/.
Why “profane” is a great word
Relating to what is secular or unconsecrated, or showing contempt or irreverence toward what is sacred. From Middle French *prophane*, from Latin *profānus*, from *pro-* ("before, outside") + *fānum* ("temple"), literally meaning "outside the temple, not sacred." Unlike "secular," which neutrally demarcates the non-religious sphere, or "blasphemous," which targets the divine with specific contempt, "profane" carries the chill of boundary violation: the muddy boot on the altar, the lover's name carved into the monastery pew, the tourist's flash photograph of the monk in meditation—a reminder that the sacred exists only by virtue of what we have exiled from its precincts.
Etymology
From Middle French prophane, from Latin profānus (“not religious, unclean”), from pro- (“instead of”) + fānum (“temple”).
adj
- Unclean; ritually impure; unholy, desecrating a holy place or thing.“Nothing is profane that serveth to the use of holy things.”
- Not sacred or holy, unconsecrated; relating to non-religious matters, secular.“profane authors”
- Treating sacred things with contempt, disrespect, irreverence, or scorn; blasphemous, impious.
- Irreverent in language; taking the name of God in vain.“a profane person, word, oath, or tongue”
noun
- A person or thing that is profane.“The nuns were employed in religious duties established in honour of St Clare, and to which no profane was ever admitted.”
- A person not a Mason.
verb
- To violate (something sacred); to treat with abuse, irreverence, obloquy, or contempt; to desecrate“One should not profane the name of God.”
- To put to a wrong or unworthy use; to debase; to abuse; to defile.
Words closest in meaning
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