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
  • That belief is not Christianity, but a desecration of that religious tradition as severe as taking a sword to desecrate an altar.
    — Seth Limmer, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The ghoul had become an emblem of desecration, a predator violating the boundary between life and death, a corruptor of what was wholesome and decent.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of desecration
Noun
  • Afterward, store washed or cut produce in clean containers in the refrigerator and away from raw meat, poultry and seafood to avoid cross-contamination.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Testing spoons stored in a manner where lip contact surface contamination could happen when employee grabs the spoon from container.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of contamination
Noun
  • The Lakers, playing with Sexton as their primary ballhandler during the stretch, had four turnovers during the drought, including a shot clock violation after a timeout.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2026
  • The building didn’t just fall into disrepair but was legally condemned by the town of Branford due to fire safety and other code violations.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of violation
Noun
  • For those concerned about product quality, Todd says to look for third-party certification labeling to check manufacturing, label contents, and contaminants.
    — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Soil removal is effective at removing contaminants but is quite expensive.
    — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of contaminant
Noun
  • Shock and anger greeted the Pakistani Supreme Court's decision to uphold the conviction and death sentence of a Christian man accused of blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad.
    — Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Or a plot to divert attention from Murphy’s blasphemy of her famously lucky number 13?
    — Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of blasphemy
Noun
  • Other studies have uncovered environmental exposure to hormone-mimicking pollutants that could skew the odds.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Still, the findings underscore just how omnipresent these pollutants are.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of pollutant
Noun
  • Johannesburg’s mayoral race reveals a city frustrated by years of corruption and crumbling infrastructure – and a country at a crossroad.
    — Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Those interests include concerns about affordability, the Iran war and corruption.
    — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of corruption
Noun
  • Advertisement To the Eagle Family, these scenes were sacrilege.
    — Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • While this might seem like capitalist sacrilege, Gearin says there’s historical precedent for Indigenous peoples using plant medicine as a tool to navigate the practical demands of the world.
    — Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of sacrilege

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defiled
defilement
defilements
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Cite this Entry

“Defilement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defilement. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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