irreligious

adjective

ir·​re·​li·​gious ˌir-i-ˈli-jəs How to pronounce irreligious (audio)
1
: neglectful of religion : lacking religious emotions, doctrines, or practices
so irreligious that they exploit popular religion for professional purposesG. B. Shaw
2
: indicating lack of religion
irreligiously adverb

Examples of irreligious in a Sentence

raised in an irreligious family where the subject of God was never even discussed
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Finishing off the top 5 is religious flick The Forge with an irreligious weekend take-home of $6.6. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2024 Ephraim — ambitious, socialist and irreligious — takes his family to Riga, Latvia, to Palestine and finally to France. Lauren Elkin, Washington Post, 16 May 2023 Conservative religiosity is of course not a requirement for autocracy – just look at the previous era of Russian autocracy, which was decidedly irreligious. Jill Filipovic, CNN, 21 Feb. 2023 Gift-giving and receiving divorced from the commemoration of the incarnation of Jesus Christ are lamented by conservatives as evidence of an increasing irreligious population. Miles Smith Iv, National Review, 24 Dec. 2022 See All Example Sentences for irreligious

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of irreligious was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Irreligious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irreligious. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

irreligious

adjective
ir·​re·​li·​gious ˌir-i-ˈlij-əs How to pronounce irreligious (audio)
: lacking religious emotions, principles, or practices
irreligiously adverb

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