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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Its advocates point to the fact that pubic officials shrank from condemning the bodyguard who in January 2011 shot Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab, who had spoken out against Pakistan's blasphemy law.Stephen D. Krasner, Foreign Affairs, 29 Nov. 2011
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Some 79 countries around the world continue to enforce blasphemy laws.Kristina M. Lee, The Conversation, 18 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The lawsuit, now in its early stages, seeks to prohibit any further clean water violations as well as civil penalties.Tom Philp, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
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The next day, my son received a notice of eviction from the property manager because of a violation of his lease’s Crime Free Addendum.Christopher A. Combs, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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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
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The impieties are to be taken as possibilities, not as actual truths.Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023
Noun
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Donald Trump slams Nancy Pelosi for corruption, calls military generals stupid Robby Soave and Nomiki Konst react to Donald Trump’s rhetoric, resorting to more name-calling.The Hill, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
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Newer parties are attracting more voters given Puerto Rico’s economic and political turmoil while a younger generation is decrying corruption, persistent power outages and a lack of affordable housing, among other things.Danica Coto, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The first element of the show to really break out, Bart embodies The Simpsons’ core irreverence and rebellious spirit, even as the show has branched out to showcase other characters more and more.Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
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The newsletter’s combination of pithy irreverence and countercultural credibility had proved popular and grew more so, accumulating nearly five hundred subjects.Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near profanation
Cite this Entry
“Profanation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profanation. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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