as in pernicious
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in polluting
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
2
as in violating
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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defiling
Adjective
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Academic opportunists the past week showed once more how pernicious, naïve misinformation can catch fire and consume the truth, especially when dressed with the veneer of academic credibility.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
2 Feb. 2023 -
Most of us can agree the world is in a perilous state, with natural disasters multiplying, pernicious new viruses continually emerging, the planet steadily overheating, and wars raging in constant rotation.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
1 Feb. 2023
Verb
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No matter the political complications, countries continued to deploy clean energy at a rapid clip this year driven by economics (renewables are often cheaper than fossil fuels) and energy-security concerns (producing clean electricity at home means less reliance on polluting imports).—
Justin Worland,
TIME,
26 Dec. 2024
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This is yet another example of how humans and the organizations run by humans are polluting the Earth and its bodies of water with all sorts of things including a range of different pharmaceutical products.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Even in districts that have staff dedicated to teaching Black history, some teachers are afraid of violating state law, according to Brian Knowles, who oversees African American, Holocaust and Latino studies for the Palm Beach County school district.—
Kate Payne,
Orlando Sentinel,
23 Dec. 2024
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That year, the campaign finance regulator separately found that Wyss’s groups failed to provide evidence of certain grant agreements upon conservatives accusing him of violating laws on foreign nationals making donations.—
Gabe Kaminsky,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Eponyms such as these provide a tantalizing backstory to our everyday language, but how many of us are aware of the eponymous character—the cursed figure of Tantalus—who lies behind the word?—
Daniel Seifert,
JSTOR Daily,
5 Feb. 2025
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The malevolence of this cursed banger will plague and stimulate clubs, dance floors, and Juneteenths for generations.—
Stephen Kearse,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Salting on sidewalks and driveways can also run off into your lawn and landscape, poisoning your plants.—
Markis Hill,
Kansas City Star,
3 Jan. 2025
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Defense lawyers said that speech included a series of improper and prejudicial comments against the defendants and their legal team, poisoning any potential jurors against them.—
Kate Brumback,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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As for the place, its veneer of comfortable tourism doesn’t hide the air of something unwholesome, especially when female guests start randomly throwing up.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
16 Feb. 2024
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Less visibly, Manton operated a side business with a more unwholesome objective: cashing in on his status and power as a judge.—
Time,
Time,
25 July 2023
Adjective
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The scene in which Anderson single-handedly faces down both the corrupt deputy and the Klan’s most murderous henchman is a master class in range.—
Mary McNamara,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2025
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Schwarz sees the blackout as a way for Americans to use their economic might in the form of their purchasing power to fight corporate greed and corrupt politicians.—
Anne Marie Lee,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Thompson, Ha and Brownell also say that Season 4 will dive much more into the Regency era’s upstairs-downstairs class politics than previous seasons, due to Sophie being of a lower class than Benedict and the Bridgerton family, as well as the fairytale and forbidden love tropes.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
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The clever canine is captured standing frozen, waiting for the all clear, before attempting to climb onto a forbidden couch in a post to the platform by @maltimasi_ on January 30.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
6 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiling. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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