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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Throughout the movie, others caution Venis to shut down his deepfake AI tools which have led to military conflict and the desecration of holy sites across the world.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
31 May 2025 -
Yet Jesus becomes angered by the desecration of the temple and begins tipping over the merchants' tables in the holy place while wielding a righteous whip.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
Noun
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The findings come as Southern California beaches near the United States-Mexico border have repeatedly faced closures due to contamination.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
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The preservative protects against contamination in the larger vials.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 June 2025
Noun
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In addition to excessive force, the complaint claimed denial of medical care, governmental liability, supervisory liability, wrongful death and survival action, and that the actions of the law enforcement officers constituted a violation of the Arkansas Civil Rights Act of 1993.—
Dale Ellis,
Arkansas Online,
19 June 2025
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Teachers need frameworks for distinguishing between appropriate AI use and academic integrity violations.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
Noun
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And exposure to contaminants (lead, cadmium and copper) can be reduced through devices like water filters, plus avoiding hot tap water in cooking, because metals leach more rapidly with heat.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
23 June 2025
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While the most dramatic spikes in phosphorous, nitrate, organic carbon and sediment generally occurred in the first one to three years, some contaminants lingered for much longer.—
Ben Livneh,
The Conversation,
23 June 2025
Noun
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Many religious people who are not fluent in Italian who laughed at the meme or even repeated the words felt that they were tricked into blasphemy.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
29 May 2025
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In a mix of fascination, irreverence, fandom and possible blasphemy, video compilations of cardinals with Charli XCX soundtracks have popped up online.—
Emma Bubola,
New York Times,
7 May 2025
Noun
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Because of Memphis' history of exceptionally poor air quality, any new source of pollutants requires permitting and emissions testing.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 June 2025
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People who may be especially sensitive to the effects of elevated levels of pollutants include the very young and those with preexisting respiratory problems such as asthma or heart disease.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2025
Noun
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Maybe the game doesn’t die in corruption but in the apathy of those who stop caring.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
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Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office claims that corruption tied to these export permits cost the state 12.3 trillion rupiah ($755 million).—
Lionel Lim,
Fortune,
18 June 2025
Noun
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To sully that legacy seems like sartorial sacrilege.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
18 June 2025
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Lea has dropped out of medical school to become a reformed Rabbi – which to her father is a sacrilege.—
Tom Teicholz,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defilement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defilement. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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