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
-
Jovanni periodically while Daniels followed instructions on cleaning, handwashing and keeping Jovanni away from contaminated dirt.—
Chris Bowling,
ProPublica,
15 Apr. 2026
-
People most at risk of health issues from PFAS include young children, people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, those who live in contaminated areas, or people — like firefighters or chemical manufacturers — who are exposed to PFAS on the job.—
Sponsored Content,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The river has been polluted by pesticide and fertilizer runoff for years, and the mining water adds another burden, Deehan said.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Many of those natural springs have either stopped flowing, been cut off by development or been polluted.—
Ryan Brennan
April 9,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The goal is to end an investigation into whether the companies violated federal antitrust laws by coordinating boycotts against social media platforms, most notably X, according to the Wall Street Journal.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
-
He was later assigned several other weapons cases and ruled in each one that the state law in question violated the Second Amendment.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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While Liang seeks to distance the company from the tainted elements, Supermicro’s longer-term fate may hinge on whether Nvidia stays close or decides to keep its distance.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
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Weinstein’s lawyers have argued that his New York conviction last year was poisoned by bad blood among jurors.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
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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 can opener.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
April 10,
Sacbee.com,
10 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 18 Apr. 2026.
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