irreverence

noun

ir·​rev·​er·​ence i-ˈre-v(ə-)rən(t)s 

ˌi(r)-,

-ˈre-vərn(t)s

1

: lack of reverence

2

: an irreverent act or utterance

Synonyms

• blasphemy
• defilement
• desecration
• impiety
• profanation
• sacrilege

Examples of irreverence in a Sentence

the sect has no tolerance for any irreverence directed toward their spiritual leader

Recent Examples on the Web

The tools and the software might have evolved, but irreverence, humor, and game culture are still at the core of a huge chunk of online entertainment—content that is increasingly being created with the games themselves. —Chris Baker, WIRED, 7 May 2024

Emma Chamberlain, striking in a corset, projected cool irreverence. —Ian Malone, Vogue, 7 May 2024

The director at times seems to be going for the kind of swaggering irreverence Quentin Tarantino brought to World War II action in Inglourious Basterds. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024

This characteristic irreverence and anti-clubbishness is what makes Jackson such an incisive cultural commentator as well as an uncompromising artist. —Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2024

There’s always been a playful irreverence to his films, an unabashed adoration for B-movie exuberance, his outlandish stories’ faint emotional underpinnings married to giddy spectacle. —Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024

Rather, members of the community participated in the collective consumption as an act of irreverence—a dispositional characteristic of the community's culture—and rebellion against traditional financial institutions like Wall Street. —Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

So, the same irreverence that The Boys has is in Gen V. —Nick Romano, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2023

By contrast, Johnson and Sweeney bring an endearing irreverence to their characters that could be read as camp, if needed. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 13 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1