pagan 1 of 2

noun

ˈpā-gən How to pronounce pagan (audio)
Definition of pagannext
as in gentile
a person who does not worship the God of the Bible the temple was built by pagans in the 4th century as a place to worship their idols

Synonyms & Similar Words

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pagan

2 of 2

adjective

as in secular

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of pagan
Noun
The Church of the Assumption, which sits atop the tiny island, is the fifth house of worship to occupy this spot — which was originally the site of an eighth-century Slavic pagan temple. — Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 8 Apr. 2026 Sometimes he was described as a modern-day Cyrus, a Persian king and a pagan in the Hebrew Bible whom God nevertheless anointed and would use for his purposes. — Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
Adjective
Some 30,000 faithful gathered outside the pagan monument, following the stations as they were recited over loudspeakers. — CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026 For decades, the Georgia Guidestones were nothing more than kitschy roadside Americana – a curiosity people visited for fun, intrigue, and the occasional pagan ritual. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pagan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pagan
  1. gentile
  2. secular
  3. atheist
  4. godless
  5. atheistic
  6. irreligious
  7. nonreligious
Noun
  • From there, the beef between the two couples runs the gamut from faux-gentile to downright nasty.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Several new billboards on Interstate 84 in Hartford and West Hartford are sending a not-so-gentile reminder that rat poison kills more than just rats.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2026
Definition of gentile
Adjective
  • But McClintock—secular, skeptical, profoundly unorthodox—wasn’t seeking the holy.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 July 2026
  • The province’s right to implement Islamic law was granted by Indonesia’s secular central government around 2005 as part of a peace deal to end a separatist insurgency.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of secular
Noun
  • Her insights into Maher being a longstanding atheist were a good link back to Twain.
    — Andy Hoglund, Entertainment Weekly, 29 June 2026
  • Veena had been an atheist with dreams of becoming a physicist.
    — Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 20 June 2026
Definition of atheist
Adjective
  • These are not social Democrats, these are hard-core, godless communists.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 June 2026
  • What better way to distinguish God-fearing Americans from the godless communists of the Soviet Union than to put God on the money?
    — David Williamson, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2026
Definition of godless
Adjective
  • His father's death during World War II influenced his pursuit of the ministry even amid the officially atheistic communist regime of the Soviet Union, according to his obituary on the OCU website.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
  • But there has been a recent rise in secular congregations that explicitly mimic religious organizations and rituals to celebrate atheistic worldviews.
    — Jacqui Frost, The Conversation, 11 Jan. 2024
Definition of atheistic
Adjective
  • Because materialism had an irreligious connotation, Hattem says it was left out of the national conversation until the Gilded Age of the 1920s, when people start saying the quiet part out loud.
    — Cari Shane, USA Today, 25 June 2026
  • This story is told by an unnamed narrator, an irreligious woman who has joined the nuns as a lay resident after her faith in environmental advocacy crumbled.
    — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of irreligious
Adjective
  • Florida statutes creating the charter school framework also require those schools to be nonreligious.
    — Gray Rohrer, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Republicans vow to appeal Arkansas ruling Last year, seven Arkansas families of various religious and nonreligious backgrounds filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s new law requiring all public elementary and secondary schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom and library.
    — Sara Cline, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Definition of nonreligious

Browse Nearby Words

paeans
pagan
paganish
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Cite this Entry

“Pagan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pagan. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pagan

Nglish: Translation of pagan for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pagan

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