Synonyms of desecrate

desecrate

verb

ˈde-si-ˌkrāt 

as in to violate

to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect

vandals desecrated the cemetery last night by covering the tombstones with graffiti

Synonyms & Similar Words

• violate
• destroy
• defile
• ravage
• demolish
• profane
• ruin
• raid
• insult
• blaspheme
• rob
• contaminate
• pollute
• soil
• taint
• swear
• defame
• offend
• despoil
• affront
• decimate
• plunder
• devastate
• wreck
• curse
• sully
• raze
• desacralize
• annihilate
• poison
• deconsecrate
• desanctify
• sack
• pillage
• befoul
• desolate
• loot
• outrage
• foul
• spoil
• waste
• strip
• ransack
• crush

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• bless
• dedicate
• honor
• consecrate
• sanctify
• respect
• hallow
• purify
• cleanse
• purge

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of desecrate

Fans once desecrated a statue of Messi in Buenos Aires. —Felipe Cardenas, The Athletic, 14 July 2024

And yet a joint biography is the only kind that feels appropriate; posthumously disentangling one brother from the other seems tantamount to desecrating a corpse, for Jacob and Wilhelm were ardently inseparable. —Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024

The third film sees David Howard Thornton return as the diabolical Art the Clown, who desecrates bodies left and right during the Christmas season. —Michaela Zee, Variety, 14 Oct. 2024

The pathogen violates and desecrates bodies, and its victims return the favor by violating and desecrating any uninfected man, woman, or child in their path. —Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024