as in contaminated
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1
as in polluted
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
supplies of meat that had been defiled by maggots
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in violated
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defiled
Mark Curriden, Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
Militia members had ransacked and defiled the house.
—Yousra Elbagir, Time, 25 Feb. 2026
As a state legislator, Lincoln stood against slave catchers backed by the federal government who defiled our state’s laws and terrorized our most vulnerable.
—Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
The work of love, and the question of what happens when love is absent or defiled, became a central preoccupation.
—Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Their beautiful sanctuary has been defiled, and Emily is fired.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025
After occupying forces defiled the temple, a small army led by Judah the Maccabee liberated the sanctuary.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 10 Dec. 2025
After recapturing Jerusalem’s holy temple, which had been defiled by the occupiers, the Maccabees searched for pure oil to light the menorah.
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Dec. 2025
Friday’s incident isn’t the first time the church has been defiled by a member of the public in recent years.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
Militia members had ransacked and defiled the house.
—Yousra Elbagir, Time, 25 Feb. 2026
As a state legislator, Lincoln stood against slave catchers backed by the federal government who defiled our state’s laws and terrorized our most vulnerable.
—Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
The work of love, and the question of what happens when love is absent or defiled, became a central preoccupation.
—Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Their beautiful sanctuary has been defiled, and Emily is fired.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025
After occupying forces defiled the temple, a small army led by Judah the Maccabee liberated the sanctuary.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 10 Dec. 2025
After recapturing Jerusalem’s holy temple, which had been defiled by the occupiers, the Maccabees searched for pure oil to light the menorah.
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Dec. 2025
Friday’s incident isn’t the first time the church has been defiled by a member of the public in recent years.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defiled
Adjective
-
The funding places the Salisbury-area project within a broader statewide effort to address PFAS, a class of chemicals increasingly found in public water systems, particularly in rural communities, as Maryland officials move to replace or treat contaminated supplies.—
Josh Davis,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Soil can erode, water can become contaminated, and wildlife can still be harmed.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In the Monsanto lawsuit, it is alleged that the company polluted Lake Michigan with PCBs, according to documents.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
More spills polluted California’s beaches.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The union had maintained that the program violated the five-year national master contract agreed upon between the parties in 2023.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Defendants’ conduct violated the law and they must be held accountable.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The case has it all — backroom deals, bribes, tainted legislation, dark money contributions — even the suicide of a prominent official at the center of the scandal.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Those officers are no longer allowed to testify in criminal court cases because of their tainted reputation.—
Dave Savini,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Could Ty Jones, whose autopsy said the 33-year-old died of heart issues, have been poisoned too?—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
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But Antonelli also questioned reports the two had been deliberately poisoned.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
More synagogues in Canada in the past 28 months have been desecrated, burned, shot at, or threatened with bombings than in any other country.—
Jesse Brown,
The Atlantic,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Officials determined that a total of 26 underground vaults and mausoleums were broken into or desecrated from November 2025 until the day Gerlach was caught.—
Alexandra Simon,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Wise’s wistful songwriting is retained, but completely missing is his intentionally impure palette.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
7 Mar. 2026
-
This is because they are often seen as ritually impure.—
Megan Bryson,
The Conversation,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The facility had an unclean cutting board behind the three compartment sink.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
April 3,
Sacbee.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Navarro explains that this is most likely because people commonly touch their spice jars with unclean hands after handling raw meat and don’t sanitize the containers after the fact.—
Caroline Lubinsky,
Martha Stewart,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiled. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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