SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
profess
verb
To state openly that one holds a belief, feeling, or qualification, sometimes with doubt about its sincerity.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Declare openly
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topProfess can be sincere but sometimes implies doubt about the claim. Avow stresses open acknowledgment; claim leaves truth unsettled.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See profess in use
The members profess respect for open debate, but their conduct must support that claim.
A club officer continued to profess support for open participation while reserving every desirable workshop place for his friends.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license