The difference between Defile and Profane

When used as nouns, defile means a narrow way or passage, e.g. between mountains, whereas profane means a person or thing that is profane.

When used as verbs, defile means to make unclean, dirty, or impure, whereas profane means to violate (something sacred).

Profane is also adjective with the meaning: unclean.

check bellow for the other definitions of Defile and Profane

  1. Defile as a verb (transitive):

    To make unclean, dirty, or impure; soil; befoul.

  2. Defile as a verb (transitive):

    To vandalize or add inappropriate contents to something considered sacred or special; desecrate

    Examples:

    "To urinate on someone's grave is an example of a way to defile it."

  3. Defile as a verb (transitive):

    To deprive or ruin someone's (sexual) purity or chastity, often not consensually; stain; tarnish; mar; rape

    Examples:

    "The serial rapist kidnapped and defiled a six-year-old girl."

  1. Defile as a noun:

    A narrow way or passage, e.g. between mountains

  2. Defile as a noun:

    A single file, such as of soldiers.

  3. Defile as a noun:

    The act of defilading a fortress, or of raising the exterior works in order to protect the interior.

  1. Defile as a verb (archaic, intransitive):

    To march in a single file.

  1. Profane as an adjective:

    Unclean; ritually impure; unholy, desecrating a holy place or thing.

  2. Profane as an adjective:

    Not sacred or holy, unconsecrated; relating to non-religious matters, secular.

    Examples:

    "'profane authors"

  3. Profane as an adjective:

    Treating sacred things with contempt, disrespect, irreverence, or scorn; blasphemous, impious.

  4. Profane as an adjective:

    Irreverent in language; taking the name of God in vain

    Examples:

    "a profane person, word, oath, or tongue"

  1. Profane as a noun:

    A person or thing that is profane.

  2. Profane as a noun (freemasonry):

    A person not a Mason.

  1. Profane as a verb (transitive):

    To violate (something sacred); to treat with abuse, irreverence, obloquy, or contempt; to desecrate

    Examples:

    "One should not profane the name of God."

    "to profane the Scriptures"

  2. Profane as a verb (transitive):

    To put to a wrong or unworthy use; to debase; to abuse; to defile.

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