as in blasphemy
an act of great disrespect shown to God or to sacred ideas, people, or things
the sect has no tolerance for any irreverence directed toward their spiritual leader
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Recent Examples of irreverence
On 10 nights each season, the Brothers Manning pile into their Monday Night Football sidecar, offering football junkies a bracing dose of hardcore X’s and O’s that’s regularly leavened by an almost giddy irreverence.
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Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 6 Dec. 2024
On September 28, TV’s comedic universe will deliver its ceremonial blessing to the 50h anniversary of Saturday Night Live, with Lorne Michaels accepting massive homage for his role in institutionalizing irreverence.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 26 Sep. 2024
Its homewares collection has the same irreverence — pieces that flirt with the line between humor and high design.
—WWD, 11 Dec. 2024
Its jokes are profound, its wisdom ridiculous, its irreverence wide-eyed and irresistible.
—Pitchfork, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for irreverence 
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 6 Dec. 2024
On September 28, TV’s comedic universe will deliver its ceremonial blessing to the 50h anniversary of Saturday Night Live, with Lorne Michaels accepting massive homage for his role in institutionalizing irreverence.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 26 Sep. 2024
Its homewares collection has the same irreverence — pieces that flirt with the line between humor and high design.
—WWD, 11 Dec. 2024
Its jokes are profound, its wisdom ridiculous, its irreverence wide-eyed and irresistible.
—Pitchfork, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for irreverence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irreverence
Noun
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But there is evidence that French society is shifting on the acceptance of blasphemy, particularly among France’s 5-million-strong Muslim population and the younger generation.Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Jan. 2025
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The other side: To turkey's defenders, this is blasphemy — and the haters revealing their own poor culinary skills.Jeff Weiner, Axios, 25 Nov. 2024
Noun
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But sometimes movies need a little sacrilege to achieve their full potential.Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2024
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However, that didn’t stop right-wing figures around the world, including Donald Trump, from claiming that the performance amounted to sacrilege, leading to widespread harassment against Jolly, as well as some of the performers involved.James Factora, Them, 29 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Use regular audits, whistleblower protections and incident tracking systems to address violations.Expert Panel®, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
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TikTok is awaiting a final ruling from the Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments regarding the ban’s potential violation of the First Amendment on Jan. 10.Jibin Joseph, PCMAG, 14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Robbed of the event’s usual flair, the competitors instead put on a display of oafish masculinity, eating Combos on the ice and getting overly handsy with a female partner, among other desecrations of the sport.Dan Reilly, Vulture, 30 July 2024
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Jared Krysiak pleaded guilty to a charge of desecration of human remains in connection with brutal slaying of Kerry Rollason, according to a statement released by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday.Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
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By one hand, he is bound to himself, to his impiety, his recklessness, his envy and pride, his guilt and spite.Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
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Clouzot supplied that insight in strong visual terms: Fresnay’s conflicting impiety and righteous anger and so much dissatisfaction and panic among the townsfolk.Armond White, National Review, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The first is Sweeney Todd — an interesting choice, seeing as Stephen Sondheim’s cannibalistic tale explores themes of political corruption and the destructive forces of free markets.Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Jan. 2025
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The committee identified graft and corruption, inefficiencies and waste.Bruce W. Dearstyne / Made by History, TIME, 13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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This is a dangerous conflation and an insult to women who choose to cook.Mina Holland, Vogue, 11 Jan. 2025
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This can be through verbal insults, physical acts like slapping and spitting, or openly degrading someone by telling them to perform humiliating tasks (say, drinking a random glass of milk in front of your work colleagues).Fran Tirado, Them, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move; ’Twere profanation of our joys To tell the laity our love.John Edgar Wideman, The New Yorker, 8 July 2021
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The first assault is on the Nile itself, which is turned to blood, thereby ruining both agriculture and aquaculture in one swoop, a profanation with religious consequences.Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 28 Nov. 2019
Thesaurus Entries Near irreverence
Cite this Entry
“Irreverence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irreverence. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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