defilement

noun

Definition of defilementnext
1
as in desecration
an act of great disrespect shown to God or to sacred ideas, people, or things for two centuries the Christian monasteries in England suffered defilements at the hands of Viking invaders

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contamination
something that is or that makes impure souvenir shops, observation towers, and other tacky defilements on Civil War battlefields that should be considered hallowed ground

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defilement
  1. desecration
  2. contamination
  3. violation
  4. contaminant
  5. blasphemy
  6. pollutant
  7. corruption
  8. sacrilege
Noun
  • Artifact theft and desecration are surprisingly common in national parks.
    Corey Buhay, Outside Online, 8 Nov. 2024
  • Another count, desecration of a human corpse, was dismissed.
    KC Baker, People.com, 17 Oct. 2024
Definition of desecration
Noun
  • Similarly, Wegmans issued a recall on Thursday alerting customers about potential salmonella contamination for seeded cucumbers purchased through Wednesday, Nov. 27.
    Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2024
  • Both major recalls involved potential salmonella contamination, and both affected products marketed as healthier, fresher options.
    Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024
Definition of contamination
Noun
  • Aside from the death penalty, Lan has been handed two 20-year prison sentences for engaging in bribery and violation of lending regulations and she has been ordered to pay $27 million to compensate the bank impacted by the fraud.
    Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
  • Jennifer and James Harper were indicted on one count of theft over $10,000 and one count of violation of the Computer Crimes Act over $10,000.
    Kim Jarrett | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 2 Dec. 2024
Definition of violation
Noun
  • Bales inevitably include a small percentage of contaminants (non-PET, green and blue plastic, bottle caps and rings) that must be separated to ensure purity of only clear PET, seen as highest value and preferred for its wider use of applications.
    Victoria Malloy, TIME, 27 Nov. 2024
  • But since all drinking water contains minerals and trace levels of contaminants, additional filtering may be needed.
    BestReviews, Sun Sentinel, 25 Nov. 2024
Definition of contaminant
Noun
  • This may be blasphemy but the sloping shape in the rear reminded me of some of the fastback American cars popular in the late 60s, in a good way.
    Josh Max, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
  • The other side: To turkey's defenders, this is blasphemy — and the haters are revealing their own poor culinary skills.
    Jeff Weiner, Axios, 25 Nov. 2024
Definition of blasphemy
Noun
  • Gas stoves create a lot of pollutants, which is why they typically must be installed with range hoods.
    Keren Landman, Vox, 27 Nov. 2024
  • Since then, the government has established new standards for pollutants, launched a nationwide air quality monitoring program, and invested heavily in clean energy.
    Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Nov. 2024
Definition of pollutant
Noun
  • Journalists and prosecutors have suggested Trump could order the Justice Department to dismiss the federal corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams or pardon him if he’s convicted.
    Sara Dorn, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
  • This couldn’t be further from the truth—especially the part about Trump’s corruption and self-dealing being no different from the norm—but Biden is doing the work of people who want to wreck the best aspects of America’s democratic ethos.
    Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
Definition of corruption
Noun
  • But sometimes movies need a little sacrilege to achieve their full potential.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2024
  • 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
Definition of sacrilege
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near defilement

defiled

defilement

defilements

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Cite this Entry

“Defilement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defilement. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on defilement

Nglish: Translation of defilement for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of defilement for Arabic Speakers

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