defilement

noun

Definition of defilementnext
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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defilement In this way, Lapid keeps the emotional aspect of Y’s self-defilement at the forefront of the drama. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defilement
  1. desecration
  2. contamination
  3. violation
  4. contaminant
  5. blasphemy
  6. pollutant
  7. corruption
  8. sacrilege
Noun
  • He was convicted of offenses including desecration of national symbols, contempt and public ​disorder, and spent five years in the Guanajay prison near Havana.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 19 July 2026
  • With the ruin of Troy also came the desecration of Zeus’ law, which proved dangerous to the returning Ithacans.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
Definition of desecration
Noun
  • Officials would not go into detail on what caused the faulty result, but contamination is a common source of false positives.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026
  • Taylor Farms announced a voluntary recall last week of all shredded lettuce sourced from Central Mexico over potential Cyclospora contamination concerns.
    — Mason Leib, ABC News, 21 July 2026
Definition of contamination
Noun
  • The state ethics commission accused the Georgia Republican Assembly and its political action committee of failing to disclose more than $180,000 of contributions and other violations.
    — David Wickert, AJC.com, 22 July 2026
  • The citations were issued for violations that included speeding, not adhering to traffic signs and signals, unsafe turning movements, use of cellphones and driving without a license.
    — Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 July 2026
Definition of violation
Noun
  • Filters with higher values can catch smaller contaminants like smoke, bacteria and viruses.
    — Bill Chappell, NPR, 17 July 2026
  • Rain barrel water, for example, is collected from rooftops and gutters where bird droppings and other contaminants may be present.
    — Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026
Definition of contaminant
Noun
  • If the state decides to officially charge him with blasphemy, Pragiwaksono could go to trial.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 30 July 2026
  • Astorino, the textbook author, went so far as to decry the showcase as something close to blasphemy.
    — John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
Definition of blasphemy
Noun
  • Managing environmental pollutants is an increasingly complex practice, with new sources and pollutant types emerging all the time.
    — Richard Marcantonio, The Conversation, 31 July 2026
  • That has raised concerns that pollutants could spread if the debris is not properly sorted and disposed of.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
Definition of pollutant
Noun
  • His priorities include stopping corruption in Congress, making housing more affordable, protecting public lands, defending the Second Amendment and strengthening public schools, according to his website.
    — Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 30 July 2026
  • For years, Deborah Witzburg sounded the loudest alarm when uncovering hundreds of cases of corruption and fraud inside Chicago city government.
    — Chris Tye, CBS News, 30 July 2026
Definition of corruption
Noun
  • That’s sacrilege on par with an Ohioan disowning football or a Texan recoiling at the smell of brisket, a Kentuckian thumbing his nose at college basketball.
    — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 2 July 2026
  • Sure, Texans are very hospitable, but playing anything other than country music over the speakers is normally considered sacrilege in that establishment.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026
Definition of sacrilege

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defilement
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Cite this Entry

“Defilement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defilement. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on defilement

Nglish: Translation of defilement for Spanish Speakers

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