as in sacrilege
an act of great disrespect shown to God or to sacred ideas, people, or things
in the 17th century the Quakers were persecuted for beliefs and practices that older churches regarded as blasphemies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of blasphemy
While in prison for blasphemy, Lee had a risqué vision of Adam and Eve, and concluded that celibacy was the cure for worldly temptation.
—
Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Thursday’s killing, over accusations of blasphemy, is the latest violent flare-up to roil Bangladesh following the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi, a student leader and critic of India who was central to last year’s uprising that toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
—semafor.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Pakistan weaponizes blasphemy laws and bombs Advent services.
—Nuri Kino, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Pakistan has seen a significant spike in blasphemy cases in recent years, in line with the TLP's rise.
—NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blasphemy
Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Thursday’s killing, over accusations of blasphemy, is the latest violent flare-up to roil Bangladesh following the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi, a student leader and critic of India who was central to last year’s uprising that toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
—semafor.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Pakistan weaponizes blasphemy laws and bombs Advent services.
—Nuri Kino, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Pakistan has seen a significant spike in blasphemy cases in recent years, in line with the TLP's rise.
—NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blasphemy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blasphemy
Noun
-
That’s the ultimate Hollywood sacrilege.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Doing anything else would be sacrilege to the faithful, as well as false to the friendship that exists at the center of this Broadway behemoth.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
18 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Brothers Keith and Terrence Nicks were found guilty by separate juries of desecration of human remains, removal of human remains and removal of more than 10 gravestones and markers.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Later that day, her 25-year-old son, Khadir Jones, was arrested and charged with desecration of human remains, My Central Jersey reported.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
State media quoted Kim saying that any violation of the country’s sovereignty would trigger immediate retaliatory strikes.—
Will Ripley,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
-
ByteDance has faced backlash from major Hollywood studios, including Disney and Paramount, for intellectual property violations surrounding its AI video-making tool Seedance.—
Lola Murti,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Once, politicians kept their cursing mostly private.—
Cal Thomas,
Arkansas Online,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Please don't apologize for cursing!—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Even aside from Trump’s own enthusiastic personal immorality and impiety, his political style — the pugnacious smear artist and demagogic braggart — was the antithesis of what evangelicals had sought before.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
23 Sep. 2025
-
By one hand, he is bound to himself, to his impiety, his recklessness, his envy and pride, his guilt and spite.—
Merve Emre,
The New Yorker,
16 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
It isn’t accompanied with authorities investigating disappearances, murders, corruption or even necessarily halting the flow of drugs.—
Angélica Durán-Martínez,
The Conversation,
24 Feb. 2026
-
But this candid and absorbing memoir is also a stark reminder of the corruptions of power, the uncertainties of revolution and the frequent viciousness of human nature.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Scottish hen parties were deemed to contain ritualistic profanation.—
Victor J. Blue,
Harpers Magazine,
23 Nov. 2025
-
No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move; ’Twere profanation of our joys To tell the laity our love.—
John Edgar Wideman,
The New Yorker,
8 July 2021
Noun
-
The hosts have long embraced online irreverence as a potent tool in politics.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
19 Feb. 2026
-
That balance between rigor and irreverence shapes everything from tasting room design to membership programs.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blasphemy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blasphemy. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
