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

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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 Many societies in the past have linked swearing to blasphemy or sin. Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025 The organization has also taken on international cases involving silent prayer arrests in the U.K. and blasphemy charges in Nigeria. Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2025 In 2011, as governor of Punjab, Pakistan’s largest province, he was assassinated by his own bodyguard for defending a Christian woman accused of blasphemy. Aatish Taseer, Time, 15 July 2025 Earlier, during his days with Monty Python, Gilliam co-wrote biblical black comedy The Life of Brian, whose themes of religious satire drew accusations of blasphemy and protests. Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 7 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for blasphemy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blasphemy
Noun
  • In 1998, the Lucky Chances casino opened, surrounded by graveyards on three side, which critics saw as a sacrilege.
    Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
  • For years, Apple treated the idea of windows on the iPad as sacrilege.
    Craig Grannell, Wired News, 16 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Both men are charged with two counts of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, unlawful removal of a dead body and unlawful desecration of a human corpse, according to court records.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Complete and utter desecration of a national monument.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The most common template for an insider trading violation is as follows.
    Samidh Guha, ABC News, 9 Nov. 2025
  • In Chicago, the indelible image of a pastor in a clerical collar shot in the head with a pepper ball by agents standing on the rooftop of an ICE building is a direct violation of CBP’s use of force policy.
    Andy Rose 19 hr ago, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The Eastpointe Police Department said the threats came in front of staff, students and parents, who witnessed the parent screaming and cursing, WWJ reported.
    Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2025
  • There are up to 20,000 rabid people raining down their emotions from all angles, a dozen sticks clattering, two dozen skates carving, all those burly bodies bumping into each other and banging into the boards, plus an endless stream of screaming and grunting and cursing.
    Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • Clouzot supplied that insight in strong visual terms: Fresnay’s conflicting impiety and righteous anger and so much dissatisfaction and panic among the townsfolk.
    Armond White, National Review, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • India became Sri Lanka’s de facto lender of last resort without requiring the Sri Lankan government to address concerns about the human rights abuses, militarization, or corruption that fueled the country’s political crisis.
    MUHIB RAHMAN, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2025
  • But turnout has been persistently low, months of horse-trading to form a government are likely to follow, and voters are weary of high levels of corruption.
    Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Scottish hen parties were deemed to contain ritualistic profanation.
    Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 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
  • While opinions inevitably vary, Carpenter is walking the fine line between irreverence and responsibility with a knowing wink and an all-important sense of humor.
    Jem Aswad, Variety, 27 Oct. 2025
  • There’s nothing like the name Vaginal Davis to announce the artist’s fiery irreverence.
    Hilton Als, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Blasphemy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blasphemy. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.

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