as in violating
to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect
vandals desecrated the cemetery last night by covering the tombstones with graffiti
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as in blasphemous
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as in desecration
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Recent Examples of desecrating
Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
Gonzalez-Rasalas was charged with murder, desecrating a body and auto theft in a gruesome 2023 Easter Sunday homicide.
—Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desecrating
Verb
-
The bill will force cities in large counties in the state to allow projects on properties within one-half mile of certain transit stops, even on land that is not zoned for residential use, or face a fine for violating state law.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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San Diego City Councilmember Jennifer Campbell has admitted violating city record-keeping rules during her 2022 re-election campaign and agreed to pay a $300 fine to resolve the case brought by the San Diego Ethics Commission.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But isn't the whole idea blasphemous?—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 Sep. 2025
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This may sound blasphemous for a Fixed Earth sign, but spontaneity works best sometimes.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
23 Aug. 2025
Noun
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His wife Sherrie Parker, 41, and their son, Deshawn Thomas, 22, are charged with desecration of human remains and fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence, according to officials.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The desecration of pizza seems to have no limits.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Any extra trimmings would land somewhere between glib and sacrilegious.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Drinking a Bloody Mary at night just feels wrong and confusing, sacrilegious even, which is hilarious because everything else goes.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The wrecking begins when Carey (Marvin), Paul’s best friend, ill-advisedly sleeps with Julie—and then, more ill-advisedly still, confesses it to Paul the next day.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Gilliam is not contesting states' rights to ban profane, sexualized or vulgar plates.—
Angele Latham,
The Tennessean,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Gilliam is not contesting states' rights to ban profane, sexualized or vulgar plates.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The developing cauldron would trap Russian troops with few options beyond surrender or destruction.—
David Kirichenko,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Earth, meanwhile, has so far been unable to bring about its own destruction.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The whole this is very slapstick and irreverent, and the story is advanced almost exclusively by wacky deus ex machinas.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
10 Sep. 2025
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Her voice in the essays is sly and irreverent, knowing and persuasive—all qualities that endeared her to readers, despite her often excessively Manichean tone.—
Anderson Tepper,
The Atlantic,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desecrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desecrating. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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