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
Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
The seafood area’s ice machine was similarly defiled.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
The seafood area’s ice machine was similarly defiled.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defiled
Adjective
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McKinney’s company was recently suspended from the city's demolition program for allegedly filling sites with contaminated dirt obtained from the redevelopment of Northland Mall.—
Violet Ikonomova,
Freep.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The new advisory follows recent testing in eastern Kennebec and western Waldo counties, which showed that deer and turkey sampled from areas near contaminated soil had PFAS concentrations in muscle tissue high enough to warrant a public health warning.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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If it’s harvested from an area that’s been polluted, there’s a possibility it could be contaminated with unsafe minerals like mercury or arsenic.—
Caroline C. Boyle,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
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He was reared in an environment polluted with drugs, gangs and violence.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and law firm Covington & Burlington LLP sued on behalf of seven trans and nonbinary individuals saying that the move violated their First Amendment rights.—
Mikelle Street,
Them.,
6 Nov. 2025
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In 1872, Campbell represented a group of white New Orleans butchers who claimed that efforts by Louisiana’s Reconstruction legislature to regulate their industry violated their Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendment rights.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The mother of a 30-year-old teacher in Oklahoma is blaming a restaurant’s tainted margarita for her daughter’s unexpected death.—
Mike Stunson,
Kansas City Star,
30 Oct. 2025
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The British government recently added eight countries to its list of travel warnings related to the risk of methanol poisoning from tainted alcohol.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Notions had persisted that Brahe was poisoned to death with mercury, but later analyses of his bones and teeth disproved the idea.—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Nov. 2025
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There’s often an arch detachment where the singer tries to pretend as though they haven’t actually been poisoned by being online themselves.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Trump’s order also directs administration officials to terminate or revoke visas if foreign nationals are found to have desecrated the flag.—
Sarah Fortinsky,
The Hill,
17 Sep. 2025
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When Melanson failed to comply with Lino’s instructions, Lino allegedly beat the older man with a baseball bat and then desecrated his corpse.—
Matthew Medsger,
Boston Herald,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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France has Europe’s largest population of Muslims, over 6 million, for whom pigs are considered impure.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
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Even the most natural parts of many women’s lives — such as menstruation, clothing or even breastfeeding — can be framed as being impure or as moral transgressions.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The in-use cutting boards at the make line were visibly unclean.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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Court documents alleged unclean conditions, painful procedures without proper medication, and cramped living quarters for the animals.—
Laura Schulte,
jsonline.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiled. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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