1
as in desecration
an act of great disrespect shown to God or to sacred ideas, people, or things
for two centuries the Christian monasteries in England suffered defilements at the hands of Viking invaders
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contamination
something that is or that makes impure
souvenir shops, observation towers, and other tacky defilements on Civil War battlefields that should be considered hallowed ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defilement
Noun
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For some fans, the changes may feel like a desecration.—
Jesse Green,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025 -
Simply put, their acts are a desecration of the pursuit of knowledge.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Rinsing salmon can potentially increase the risk of contamination, says Dr. Farzad.—
Stacey Lastoe,
Southern Living,
8 Apr. 2025
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Shutting down the septic system would eliminate the potential contamination of Lake Michigan waters.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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His attorneys and family have rejected the government’s claims, calling his detention unjust and a violation of due process.—
Hanna Park,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2025
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Executive director Nick Turner told the Bangor Daily News the show hoped to have other characters on stage reference the two Black characters the musical is missing without showing the pair, but was warned that altering the musical’s licensed script would constitute a contract violation .—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Gerbera daisy The decorative plant isn’t just a flowering cutie but a powerful eliminator of contaminants.—
Rebecca Torres,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2025
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After the devastating Camp fire in Paradise in 2018, soil testing of 12,500 properties revealed that nearly one-third still contained dangerous levels of contaminants even after the first 6 inches of topsoil were scraped by federal crews.—
Corinne Purtill,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Does this sound like blasphemy?—
Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Apr. 2025
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One of Indonesia’s most high-profile blasphemy cases was that of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Indonesian politician widely known as Ahok who served as Jakarta’s first non-Muslim governor in 50 years.—
Jack Guy,
CNN,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The District of Columbia Circuit in 2013 also affirmed the central role of science to inform revisions of National Ambient Air Quality Standards, which set limits for six common air pollutants.—
H. Christopher Frey,
The Conversation,
7 Apr. 2025
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Heavy oil is preferred for marine transportation due to its low cost but is a high pollutant.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Trump administration is substantially scaling back the State Department's annual reports on international human rights to remove longstanding critiques of abuses such as harsh prison conditions, government corruption and restrictions on participation in the political process, NPR has learned.—
Graham Smith,
NPR,
18 Apr. 2025
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Thao has since been indicted for bribery and corruption.—
Jonathan Easley,
The Hill,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Such a transformation would represent an irrevocable loss: a profound sacrilege not only to the city’s rich history but also to the cultural legacy for the future generations.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
23 Feb. 2025
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For many liberals and radicals, beginning with Lord Byron, Elgin was a vandal who had committed sacrilege.—
Ralph Leonard,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defilement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defilement. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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