desecrate

verb

des·​e·​crate ˈde-si-ˌkrāt 

desecrated; desecrating

transitive verb

1

: to violate the sanctity of : profane

desecrate a shrine

a cemetery desecrated by vandals

2

: to treat disrespectfully, irreverently, or outrageously

… the kind of shore development … that has desecrated so many waterfronts …

—John Fischer

desecrater noun

or desecrator

ˈde-si-ˌkrā-tər 

Synonyms

• defile
• profane
• violate

Examples of desecrate in a Sentence

The vandals were accused of desecrating graves.

vandals desecrated the cemetery last night by covering the tombstones with graffiti

Recent Examples on the Web

Controversy surfaced late last year when the Navajo Nation decried a commercial mission for carrying human remains, arguing that such deposits on the moon would desecrate sacred space. —Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Jan. 2024

Late last December, the Navajo Nation requested that U.S. officials delay Peregrine’s launch amid concerns that landing the remains would desecrate the moon, which the Diné (the Navajo people) consider sacred. —Michael Greshko, Scientific American, 9 Jan. 2024

But extraction efforts in other parts of the country — such as Nevada’s Thacker Pass and Utah’s Great Salt Lake — have faced pushback from conservation activists and Native American tribes over their potential to destroy wildlife habitat, gobble up scarce water and desecrate sacred sites. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023

By the time Elgin’s men arrived, the Parthenon had been occupied, desecrated and burned. —William Booth, Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2023

At issue is a proposal by one Indigenous group to expand and relocate its casino and whether the flashy new gambling hall, hotel and entertainment center would honor — or desecrate — the past. —James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2023

The account is partially funded by fines for desecrating burial grounds, including for the first time, restitution to cover collecting, cleaning and reburying remains illegally taken, just as other remains before them had been for centuries. —John O'Connor and Melissa Perez Winder, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

de- + -secrate (as in consecrate)

First Known Use

1675, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

desecrate

verb

des·​e·​crate ˈdes-i-ˌkrāt 

desecrated; desecrating

: to treat a sacred place or sacred object shamefully or with great disrespect

desecrater noun

or desecrator

-ˌkrāt-ər 

desecration

ˌdes-i-ˈkrā-shən

noun