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
Relevance
as in secular
Related Words
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
Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
When a rigid, devoutly Christian cop (Edward Woodward) arrives in search of a missing girl, he's horrified by the island's embrace of pagan rituals.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
This pagan tradition took place on October 31 when the Celts believed the veil between the physical world and the spirit realm was thinnest, with ceremonial fires and rituals taking place to mark the conclusion of one pastoral year, and the entry into the next.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
The History Blog noted that King Knut led campaigns against pagan groups to spread Christianity.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 12 Oct. 2025
Just before the combine, though, Cam, while practicing alone at night, is struck in the head by a strange pagan spirit-slash-mascot that emerges out of the shadows.
—Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
These wooden churches were once common across the country, built when Christianity was still new and pagan traditions lingered.
—David Nikel, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Previous defense motions have also claimed that German and Williams' murders were actually a ritual sacrifice committed by Odinists, members of a pagan religion linked with White nationalism, per CNN.
—Jordana Comiter, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Church leaders understood these views to be heretical or pagan, reflecting pride and a lack of gratitude to God.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2025
Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
In the Book of Acts, the pagans of Athens gathered to hear the gospel preached by Paul.
—Brooke L. Rollins, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
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
Noun
Both Leader and Walton’s works saw a rise in popularity in the 70s as many women became interested in pagan religions, which often depicted female mythological figures as powerful and complex.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
When a rigid, devoutly Christian cop (Edward Woodward) arrives in search of a missing girl, he's horrified by the island's embrace of pagan rituals.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
This pagan tradition took place on October 31 when the Celts believed the veil between the physical world and the spirit realm was thinnest, with ceremonial fires and rituals taking place to mark the conclusion of one pastoral year, and the entry into the next.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
The History Blog noted that King Knut led campaigns against pagan groups to spread Christianity.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 12 Oct. 2025
Just before the combine, though, Cam, while practicing alone at night, is struck in the head by a strange pagan spirit-slash-mascot that emerges out of the shadows.
—Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
These wooden churches were once common across the country, built when Christianity was still new and pagan traditions lingered.
—David Nikel, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Previous defense motions have also claimed that German and Williams' murders were actually a ritual sacrifice committed by Odinists, members of a pagan religion linked with White nationalism, per CNN.
—Jordana Comiter, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Church leaders understood these views to be heretical or pagan, reflecting pride and a lack of gratitude to God.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Samhain is also celebrated in Salem by the local pagan and witch communities, who often share their traditions with curious out-of-towners.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
In the Book of Acts, the pagans of Athens gathered to hear the gospel preached by Paul.
—Brooke L. Rollins, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pagan
Noun
-
Nothing can be done, at this point, about the dubious premise that mainstream Jews and gentiles in 2020s Los Angeles occupy separate social worlds.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Jew, gentile, Black man, white.—
NPR,
NPR,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Scheeres’s work also inspired me to research the troubled teen industry, the hidden arm of America’s prison industrial complex, a largely unregulated network of religious and secular therapeutic boarding schools, wilderness programs, private youth programs, and drug rehabilitation centers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The movie subsequently gave its monsters a more secular origin story, the spawn of science run amok rather than some malevolent force of evil.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
His stories, particularly the later ones, center around the idea that the Universe is a godless cosmos that is entirely indifferent to humanity.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Predictably, the hubbub surrounding the photo was eventually framed as a war between uptight virgins and godless heathens, with a quieter contingent astounded only by the fact that this kind of marketing could still be so effective.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Tom’s late wife was an atheist.—
Grace Byron,
Vulture,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Weibel, following her interviews and observations, believes that the same gray area extends to astronauts: some are openly religious, some are atheists, others agnostic and more.—
Jessica Rendall,
Space.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Stewart’s switch from his usual snark to imitate Colbert’s buffoonery proved how spiteful and irreligious political humor has become since the left’s worship of Barack Obama and subsequent persecution of President Trump.—
Armond White,
National Review,
25 July 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
Many children raised by devout parents and teachers still embrace their parents’ beliefs, but ever-fewer young people raised in less committed or entirely nonreligious families and schools espouse religious faith.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Oct. 2025
-
The suit was filed by 15 Texas families with multifaith and nonreligious backgrounds against 14 school districts, including Fort Worth, Arlington, Northwest, Azle and Mansfield ISDs.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pagan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pagan. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share