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
Relevance
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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His wife Sherrie Parker, 41, and their son, Deshawn Thomas, 22, are charged with desecration of human remains and fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence, according to officials.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
11 Sep. 2025 -
The desecration of pizza seems to have no limits.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Lithium batteries, other toxic material elevate risk Rahn pointed to lithium batteries in electric vehicles as a new source of contamination, which historically wasn’t a major concern.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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And if there's a bite mark, chances are some contamination has happened because animals can carry bacteria and parasites in their saliva.—
Amy Brightfield,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The violation is the eleventh recorded since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, according to Defense Ministry figures provided to ABC News.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
15 Sep. 2025
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From spoiled chicken to dead cockroaches, health inspectors in Missouri and Kansas found numerous violations at Kansas City area restaurants last week.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While contaminants are generally thought to be more dangerous at higher doses, even exposure to very small amounts of beryllium can lead to disease.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
11 Sep. 2025
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Third-party testing confirms that the supplement contains the ingredients listed on the label and is free from harmful contaminants.—
Lindsay Cook,
Health,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Many societies in the past have linked swearing to blasphemy or sin.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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The organization has also taken on international cases involving silent prayer arrests in the U.K. and blasphemy charges in Nigeria.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
31 July 2025
Noun
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Understanding how pollutants like microplastics affect apex predators is essential because disruptions at this level could be catastrophic.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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The study, which will wrap up next year at the earliest, aims to help researchers find relationships between pollutants and health.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The tech giant has built in a feature called Memory Integrity Enforcement, which is designed to stop attacks targeting memory corruption bugs, often exploited by spyware developers and phone forensic tools used by law enforcement, TechCrunch reports.—
Thomas Brewster,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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The rise is coupled with major political shifts in the country following the election of President Bernardo Arévalo, who vowed to fight corruption, tackle inequality, and rectify the discrimination against Indigenous Peoples after years of democratic erosion and corruption.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For years, Apple treated the idea of windows on the iPad as sacrilege.—
Craig Grannell,
Wired News,
16 Aug. 2025
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And still, Wankdorf Stadium heaved with Portuguese song, as if any other noise outside of a goal celebration might border on sacrilege.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
4 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defilement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defilement. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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