as in sacrilege
an act of great disrespect shown to God or to sacred ideas, people, or things
the First Book of the Maccabees tells of the profanation of the temple of Jerusalem by Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167 b.c.
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Recent Examples of profanation
No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move; ’Twere profanation of our joys To tell the laity our love.
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John Edgar Wideman, The New Yorker, 8 July 2021
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
His family has argued that the exhumation would amount to profanation of a burial site, and said the only alternative resting place for Franco should be inside the crypt of the Madrid cathedral, a suggestion that the government found unacceptable.
—Raphael Minder, New York Times, 4 June 2019
John Edgar Wideman, The New Yorker, 8 July 2021
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
His family has argued that the exhumation would amount to profanation of a burial site, and said the only alternative resting place for Franco should be inside the crypt of the Madrid cathedral, a suggestion that the government found unacceptable.
—Raphael Minder, New York Times, 4 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profanation
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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Artifact theft and desecration are surprisingly common in national parks.Corey Buhay, Outside Online, 8 Nov. 2024
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Another count, desecration of a human corpse, was dismissed.KC Baker, People.com, 17 Oct. 2024
Noun
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For some reason, this idea of a period of cheap fossil fuels to accelerate the energy transition is blasphemy, even though a case study already exists in China.Mark Le Dain, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
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But now here’s Ferrari ratcheting up the blasphemy with—this is not a typo—what seems to be a station wagon.IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Mar. 2012
Noun
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For years, Austin schools had struggled to clear thousands of overdue requests from families that students get evaluated for special education services, which is a law violation.Keri Heath, Austin American-Statesman, 15 Dec. 2024
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Four Marine League coaches decided to forfeit games rather than play Narbonne, alleging rule violations.Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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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
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But the books complement each other in isolating a specific strain of mid-century masculinity, one that’s a strange mix of entitlement and passivity, austerity and impiety, dutifulness and indifference.Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2024
Noun
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The only other president to be successfully impeached was Park Geun-hye, a conservative who left office in 2017 and was sentenced to 22 years in prison for a corruption scandal involving major corporations and the daughter of a cult leader.Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2024
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In 2016, parliament impeached Park Geun-hye, the country’s first female president, over a corruption scandal.Kim Tong-Hyung, Chicago Tribune, 14 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Its homewares collection has the same irreverence — pieces that flirt with the line between humor and high design.WWD, WWD, 11 Dec. 2024
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Its jokes are profound, its wisdom ridiculous, its irreverence wide-eyed and irresistible.Pitchfork, Pitchfork, 3 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near profanation
Cite this Entry
“Profanation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profanation. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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