1
as in desecration
an act of great disrespect shown to God or to sacred ideas, people, or things
for two centuries the Christian monasteries in England suffered defilements at the hands of Viking invaders
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contamination
something that is or that makes impure
souvenir shops, observation towers, and other tacky defilements on Civil War battlefields that should be considered hallowed ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defilement
Noun
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He was charged with dozens more counts of criminal mischief, burglary, intentional desecration of a venerated object and other crimes.—
Emma Caughlan,
NBC news,
9 Jan. 2026 -
Gerlach has been charged with 26 counts of burglary and criminal trespassing, in addition to abuse of a corpse and desecration and theft or sale of venerated objects.—
Alexandra Simon,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Even some homes that remain standing are unlivable due to smoke, ash and asbestos contamination.—
Sarah Alegre,
FOXNews.com,
12 Jan. 2026
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The project involves removing asbestos and lead contamination, updating the facilities to be compliant with accessibility laws, and upgrading electrical and ventilation systems.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The bill specifically targeted local jails holding people accused of civil violations.—
Jennifer Mayerle,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
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If the sale does go through, the administration can still use its enforcement powers to make sure any new owner corrects open violations and adheres to rent-stabilization laws.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Although lead is one of the most common and dangerous contaminants left behind after fires, federal and state disaster officials have traditionally tested soil for 17 toxic metals, including cancer-causing arsenic and toxic mercury.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Jan. 2026
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Indeed, topsoil — if successfully seeded with grass and left undisturbed — can generally limit exposure to backfill contaminants buried as far as six feet down, Schroeck and a Wayne State University engineer who works with soils said.—
Violet Ikonomova,
Freep.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Some of the Friend’s followers—men, it must be said—turned on the group, stirring up land disputes and forcibly delivering the Friend a warrant for blasphemy.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
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While in prison for blasphemy, Lee had a risqué vision of Adam and Eve, and concluded that celibacy was the cure for worldly temptation.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Semiconductor manufacturing requires huge amounts of ultra-clean water to rinse residue from silicon chips during the fabrication process, resulting in wastewater that contains pollutants, including heavy metals, which can be toxic to aquatic ecosystems and humans.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Jan. 2026
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Now, its ability to do that for many air pollutants is under threat.—
Lisa Song,
ProPublica,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Conditions were only made worse by recent military defeats, crippling sanctions, corruption, and an unparalleled water crisis.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
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The improvement at Eskom, which provides 80% of the country’s power generation, comes after years of mismanagement, corruption scandals, and bailouts for ongoing debt problems.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Doing anything else would be sacrilege to the faithful, as well as false to the friendship that exists at the center of this Broadway behemoth.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
18 Nov. 2025
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Defilement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defilement. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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