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
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as in secular
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Recent Examples of pagan
Atlanta Life, ajc, 10 Nov. 2017
While plague stalks the land, paranoid peasants swap cautionary folk tales about evil spirits, pagans, Jews and other outsiders.
—Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2017
Thomas Jefferson had strong views on religion, but his Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom disestablished the Church of Englandand established religious liberty for Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, even pagans.
—Jonah Goldberg, Alaska Dispatch News, 27 Sep. 2017
Lance Wallnau, a Christian author, claimed God spoke to him and showed him that Trump was like King Cyrus, who followed God’s will despite being a pagan.
—Colby Itkowitz, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2017
To do Trumpzilla justice, the film should be blustery, spectacular, gold-garish, and neo-pagan, a Circus Maximus Cecil B. DeMille might have whipped up with his riding crop after a fever dream.
—James Wolcott, HWD, 19 June 2017
Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2025
Over time, my conquistadors retired, and my pagan temples got demolished to make way for grocery stores.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2025
As de Kort tells Live Science, these treasures were buried in several deposits that might have constituted offerings to a pagan god—possibly Wodan, the Germanic persona of the Norse god Odin.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Feb. 2025
That is an ancient pagan symbol coopted by Germany’s Nazi regime and worn prominently during World War II on the uniforms of the brutal Waffen SS units.
—Matthew Kriner, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2025
The tradition of houses of worship providing sanctuary predates Christianity, and was practiced in pagan temples.
—Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2025
Hebrew prophets, in turn, began transforming pagan cycles of birth, death, and renewal into a rectilinear history.
—Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Missionaries to Europe Popes began to send missionaries to convert other pagan peoples in Europe.
—Joanne M. Pierce, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2025
The seasonal rites, as old as pagan times, are so ancient and organic that no one thinks to question them.
—Sam Sacks, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
Church officials decided to recognize Dec. 25 as his birthday, probably to coincide with the date of pagan festivals in an attempt to get pagans to accept Christianity as the official religion.
—Atlanta Life, ajc, 10 Nov. 2017
While plague stalks the land, paranoid peasants swap cautionary folk tales about evil spirits, pagans, Jews and other outsiders.
—Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2017
Thomas Jefferson had strong views on religion, but his Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom disestablished the Church of Englandand established religious liberty for Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, even pagans.
—Jonah Goldberg, Alaska Dispatch News, 27 Sep. 2017
Lance Wallnau, a Christian author, claimed God spoke to him and showed him that Trump was like King Cyrus, who followed God’s will despite being a pagan.
—Colby Itkowitz, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2017
To do Trumpzilla justice, the film should be blustery, spectacular, gold-garish, and neo-pagan, a Circus Maximus Cecil B. DeMille might have whipped up with his riding crop after a fever dream.
—James Wolcott, HWD, 19 June 2017
Adjective
This attempt to turn back the clock included the purging of Christian texts from schools, the conversion of Christian churches into pagan temples, and religious persecution as it had been practiced in centuries past.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2025
Over time, my conquistadors retired, and my pagan temples got demolished to make way for grocery stores.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2025
As de Kort tells Live Science, these treasures were buried in several deposits that might have constituted offerings to a pagan god—possibly Wodan, the Germanic persona of the Norse god Odin.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Feb. 2025
That is an ancient pagan symbol coopted by Germany’s Nazi regime and worn prominently during World War II on the uniforms of the brutal Waffen SS units.
—Matthew Kriner, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2025
The tradition of houses of worship providing sanctuary predates Christianity, and was practiced in pagan temples.
—Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2025
Hebrew prophets, in turn, began transforming pagan cycles of birth, death, and renewal into a rectilinear history.
—Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Missionaries to Europe Popes began to send missionaries to convert other pagan peoples in Europe.
—Joanne M. Pierce, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2025
The seasonal rites, as old as pagan times, are so ancient and organic that no one thinks to question them.
—Sam Sacks, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pagan
Noun
-
However, Piven’s character Harold May is Jewish, and amid the rise of Hitler in Germany, his ability to pass as a gentile could be a matter of life and death.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
13 Jan. 2025
-
The script swiftly navigates what could be sensitive waters, finding good-natured humor in the inflection points of Jewish and gentile relations without ever being disparaging.—
Erin Strecker,
IndieWire,
23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In other words, despite its seeming departure from Maine’s binary logic, the Second World was really a slice of the non-West that, contrary to expectations, embraced an explicitly secular and modernizing agenda: socialism.—
Zachariah Mampilly,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Apr. 2025
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But the church’s decision to make Catholic Charities a separate corporate entity means that this entity is not exempt from the state’s unemployment law — because Catholic Charities itself only provides secular services.—
Ian Millhiser,
Vox,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Compared with the heavenly bliss promised at the end of Revelation, Byron’s godless planet was bleak stuff indeed.—
Jennifer Szalai,
New York Times,
22 Jan. 2025
-
The ranks of the godless have stopped growing for now.—
Lauren Jackson,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Could an evangelical school like Wheaton College be compelled to appoint an atheist to its faculty?—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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Omagh said that as an atheist and member of an ethnic minority group in Afghanistan known as the Hazara, returning home under the rule of the Taliban would mean death.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Silverstein had a much different experience growing up, given the fact that his parents were both Baalei teshuva (irreligious Jews who become more observant later in life).—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Our respondents included Christian, Jewish, Muslim and nonreligious individuals.—
Denise Daniels,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2025
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Others are young professionals, retired teachers, Republicans and Democrats, and religious and nonreligious people who are experienced in cross-cultural communication and jumping in for the first time.—
Carissa Zaffiro,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pagan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pagan. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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