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
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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
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defilement
Noun
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Gerlach is facing nearly 500 charges — including burglary, abuse of a corpse and desecration of monuments — tied to a disturbing investigation at Mount Moriah Cemetery near Philadelphia, the outlet reported.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Against desecration of our flag bill 4.—
Gary Franks,
Hartford Courant,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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For this reason, many food safety experts recommend using a non-wooden cutting board for raw meat and poultry to reduce cross-contamination.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
4 May 2026
-
An area of Cuesta Park was without water after a mistake at a construction site caused water contamination.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Garcia Martinez was processed for federal immigration law violations and transported to a detention facility with detainers to ensure extradition to New York after final adjudication of the immigration violations, CBP said.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
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But a confidential internal audit later seemed to suggest body camera misuse was more widespread, finding similar violations among patrol officers in three other divisions, including 77th Street.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Abbott, one of the nation’s largest formula makers, urged the FDA to set scientific standards for contaminants in infant formula.—
Jonel Aleccia,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Abbott, one of the nation's largest formula makers, urged the FDA to set scientific standards for contaminants in infant formula.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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For creatives, its use was treated like blasphemy.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
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Interreligious tension exists, with arbitrary detentions of Christians and arrests under the nation’s blasphemy laws.—
Mathew Schmalz,
The Conversation,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The work also points toward a potential circular manufacturing model in which waste plastics and spent battery acid are reused to create high-value chemicals instead of becoming environmental pollutants.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
8 May 2026
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And while the law largely governs toxins, the rollback has also undermined action on climate change, including repealing the legal theory used to classify greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide as regulated pollutants.—
Mark Olalde,
ProPublica,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Years later, drawn into a covert network of operatives and manipulated through a web of corruption, Clay must decide whether to become the weapon he was shaped to be or dismantle the system from within.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
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He was also charged in another foreign corruption case in the same court in late 2024.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But by then, religious and political leaders from around the world condemned the image, some calling it a sacrilege.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
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That might sound like sacrilege, because the NFL is beyond criticism for many sports fans, but the draft is the ideal example of what the league has become and the importance of gambling to modern audiences.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defilement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defilement. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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