DEFILE Synonyms: 132 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'defile' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of defile are contaminate , pollute , and taint . While all these words mean "to make impure or unclean," defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration. // defile a hero's memory with slanderous innuendo

Q: When is 'contaminate' a more appropriate choice than 'defile'?

The meanings of contaminate and defile largely overlap; however, contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source. // water contaminated by industrial wastes

Q: When is it sensible to use 'pollute' instead of 'defile'?

While in some cases nearly identical to defile , pollute , sometimes interchangeable with contaminate , distinctively may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy. // the polluted waters of the river

Q: When could 'taint' be used to replace 'defile'?

The synonyms taint and defile are sometimes interchangeable, but taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination. // tainted meat // a politician's tainted reputation

defile 1 of 2

noun

di-ˈfī(-ə)l

Definition of defile next

as in canyon

a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage the cattle, once they were cornered in the defile, were quickly rounded up

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

defile

2 of 2

verb

di-ˈfī(-ə)l

as in to pollute

to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable supplies of meat that had been defiled by maggots

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to violate

to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect art conservators were careful not to do anything that might defile the holy relic

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb defile contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of defile are contaminate, pollute, and taint. While all these words mean "to make impure or unclean," defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration.

defile a hero's memory with slanderous innuendo

When is contaminate a more appropriate choice than defile?

The meanings of contaminate and defile largely overlap; however, contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source.

water contaminated by industrial wastes

When is it sensible to use pollute instead of defile?

While in some cases nearly identical to defile, pollute, sometimes interchangeable with contaminate, distinctively may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy.

the polluted waters of the river

When could taint be used to replace defile?

The synonyms taint and defile are sometimes interchangeable, but taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination.

tainted meat

a politician's tainted reputation

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 defile

Noun

Between Evergreen and Conifer Maxwell Creek slides north through a trailside defile, trembles through boulders in watery segments, and slips over black granite blocks in shimmery sheets at Maxwell Falls. —

Danika Worthington, The Know, 19 June 2020 The 27-year-old Woodbridge man was arrested and charged with abduction with intent to defile and burglary. —

Ria Manglapus and Lisa M. Bolton, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2019

Verb

Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the miracle of one day's worth of oil lasting for eight days after Syrian Greeks defiled the Jerusalem Temple before the Maccabees, a group of Jewish soldiers, defeated them. —

Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 2 Dec. 2024 Naresh Bhatt, 37, was indicted by a grand jury on the charges of murder and physically defiling a dead body. —

Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for defile

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defile

Noun

But with gusts clocked at 59 mph, the fire quickly started pushing a shower of sparks across the canyon.

— Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Accustomed to flying in the gullies and canyons of Los Angeles County, the pilots understood what this meant.

— Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025