1
as in degraded
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
the once-lovely landscape had been profaned by ugly factories
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abused
to put to a bad or improper use
profaned his considerable acting talents by appearing in some wretched movies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in violated
to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect
invading troops profaned the altar by playing poker on it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profaned
Verb
-
At Vermejo Park Ranch, purchased in the mid-1990s from Pennzoil and spanning more than 870 square miles near the New Mexico-Colorado border, Turner’s team has worked to restore mountainsides and valleys degraded by overgrazing, mining and clear-cutting.—
Susan Montoya Bryan,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026 -
His moves to West Ham United and Milan have badly degraded the 33-year-old’s stock.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Roza — a woman testifying under her first name — was an aspiring model from Uzbekistan when Epstein abused her in 2009, after the plea deal and while he was supposed to be under house arrest.—
Claire Healy,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 May 2026
-
Cook was labeled a vexatious litigant in 2018 until the Idaho Supreme Court in 2021 reversed the case, finding that the court abused its discretion.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Apkarian found that the ads, which have been on the airwaves for more than 20 years, violated California’s false advertising law by disseminating public statements about the disposal of property — specifically vehicle donations — that were misleading by omission.—
Francie Ebert,
NBC news,
18 May 2026
-
The flotilla, involving nearly 500 activists from 45 countries, revives questions over enforcing blockades in international waters amid Gaza’s deepening humanitarian crisis and a fragile, frequently violated ceasefire.—
Suzan Fraser,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
An independent redistricting commission — transparent, balanced and insulated from the very political pressures that have corrupted this process.—
Daryl Campbell,
Sun Sentinel,
6 May 2026
-
In an era when youth sports can sometimes feel corrupted by money, pressure and adult ego, the Lee Corso Legacy Fund serves as a reminder of what sports are supposed to be about in the first place.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Magyar has pledged to create the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, an authority tasked with investigating and seeking to recover public funds allegedly misused during Orbán’s tenure.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
-
More than 13 million Americans have misused nitrous oxide, according a 2023 national survey.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Javien Wright, the man whose grave was desecrated, was, with a gun by his side, shot to death outside a house in the 1500 block of East Mulkey Street in February 2020.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2026
-
More synagogues in Canada in the past 28 months have been desecrated, burned, shot at, or threatened with bombings than in any other country.—
Jesse Brown,
The Atlantic,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
You can be humiliated, and won’t that be awful?—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
19 May 2026
-
Those who don’t get the job leave diminished, sometimes humiliated, and the institution absorbs the damage quietly for years.—
Paul Hardart,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Despite evidence that the two got along well enough, rumors spread in Vienna after Mozart’s death that Salieri had poisoned him.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Two lethal mushroom species, the death cap (Amanita phalloides) and western destroying angel (Amanita ocreata), have poisoned at least 47 people and claimed four lives since mid-November, according to the California Department of Public Health.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
13 May 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Profaned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profaned. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
