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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Brothers Keith and Terrence Nicks were found guilty by separate juries of desecration of human remains, removal of human remains and removal of more than 10 gravestones and markers.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026 -
Later that day, her 25-year-old son, Khadir Jones, was arrested and charged with desecration of human remains, My Central Jersey reported.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Monitoring teams were stationed around the demolition zone to check for any radioactive contamination released during the implosion.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Feb. 2026
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Trader Joe’s Chicken Fried Rice and other frozen products are being recalled due to potential glass contamination.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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State media quoted Kim saying that any violation of the country’s sovereignty would trigger immediate retaliatory strikes.—
Will Ripley,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
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ByteDance has faced backlash from major Hollywood studios, including Disney and Paramount, for intellectual property violations surrounding its AI video-making tool Seedance.—
Lola Murti,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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One filter provides supreme taste and the other eliminates contaminants, all with a lightweight, flexible design.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
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If accidentally ingested, contaminants such as glass could cause dental damage, laceration of the mouth or throat, laceration or perforation of the intestine, and other serious injuries.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Another young man, Mashal Khan, a university student and poet, was lynched by a mob of fellow students who accused him of blasphemy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
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As depicted in the movie, Lee was arrested multiple times for blasphemy and disturbing the peace.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That area is also dealing with effects of other toxic pollutants stemming from the Tijuana River Valley sewage crisis.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
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Of all fossil fuels, coal emits the most carbon dioxide per unit of energy, and burning it releases deadly pollutants into the air.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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It isn’t accompanied with authorities investigating disappearances, murders, corruption or even necessarily halting the flow of drugs.—
Angélica Durán-Martínez,
The Conversation,
24 Feb. 2026
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But this candid and absorbing memoir is also a stark reminder of the corruptions of power, the uncertainties of revolution and the frequent viciousness of human nature.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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That’s the ultimate Hollywood sacrilege.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2026
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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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Cite this Entry
“Defilement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defilement. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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