Synonyms of defile

defile 1 of 2

noun

di-ˈfī(-ə)l 

as in canyon

a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage

the cattle, once they were cornered in the defile, were quickly rounded up

Synonyms & Similar Words

• canyon
• gorge
• ravine
• valley
• pass
• saddle
• gulch
• gap
• col
• crevice
• trench
• abyss
• flume
• kloof
• linn
• fissure
• notch
• gulf
• gill
• chasm
• couloir
• cleft
• gutter
• crevasse
• glen
• basin
• vale
• wash
• hollow
• dale
• cirque
• gully
• floodplain
• dell
• combe
• cwm
• kettle
• nullah
• arroyo
• trough
• wadi
• draw
• barranca
• coulee
• shut-in

defile

2 of 2

verb

di-ˈfī(-ə)l 

1

as in to pollute

to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable

supplies of meat that had been defiled by maggots

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pollute
• poison
• contaminate
• taint
• befoul
• infect
• foul
• sully
• besmirch
• soil
• dirty
• stain
• dilute
• blacken
• adulterate
• smudge
• muddy
• rot
• spoil
• corrupt
• mire
• smirch
• foul up
• water down
• grime
• begrime
• doctor

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• purify
• clean
• clarify
• cleanse
• purge
• clear
• distill
• decontaminate
• filter
• sterilize
• disinfect
• sanitize

2

as in to violate

to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect

art conservators were careful not to do anything that might defile the holy relic

Synonyms & Similar Words

• violate
• desecrate
• destroy
• ravage
• profane
• demolish
• ruin
• raid
• contaminate
• pollute
• insult
• taint
• blaspheme
• rob
• soil
• sully
• defame
• offend
• despoil
• swear
• devastate
• decimate
• plunder
• wreck
• curse
• affront
• befoul
• poison
• desolate
• desacralize
• pillage
• desanctify
• foul
• sack
• raze
• annihilate
• deconsecrate
• spoil
• strip
• ransack
• loot
• waste
• outrage
• crush

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• bless
• dedicate
• honor
• sanctify
• consecrate
• respect
• hallow
• purify
• cleanse
• purge

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb defile contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of defile are contaminate, pollute, and taint. While all these words mean "to make impure or unclean," defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration.

defile a hero's memory with slanderous innuendo

When is contaminate a more appropriate choice than defile?

The meanings of contaminate and defile largely overlap; however, contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source.

water contaminated by industrial wastes

When is it sensible to use pollute instead of defile?

While in some cases nearly identical to defile, pollute, sometimes interchangeable with contaminate, distinctively may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy.

the polluted waters of the river

When could taint be used to replace defile?

The synonyms taint and defile are sometimes interchangeable, but taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination.

tainted meat

a politician's tainted reputation

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of defile

Noun

In the right of the picture, a platoon of soldiers, heavily armed and preceded by a pair of gun carriages, tramp through a defile. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2025

Navarette Romero, a Honduran national, was found with some of the victim's belongings, the chief said, and he was charged with abduction with intent to defile and rape. — Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024

Verb

And earlier this month, Russia prompted outrage by installing an exhibit that some commentators said defiled the Katyn Memorial, the site of the mass execution of Polish POWs by the Soviets in 1940. — Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026

Among the false claims Energy Transfer alleged Greenpeace had spread was that the energy company defiled Native American cultural boundaries. — Mark Curriden, Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026

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