defilements

plural of defilement
1
as in corruptions
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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2
as in contaminants
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defilements
Noun
  • Miami Beach code compliance officers also checked on the polling station at least six times for possible loud music and signage code adherence pertaining to Basabe, although no violations were issued, records show.
    — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
  • On Tuesday, the Department of Justice will be sending 1,000 election monitors to all 50 states, including Minnesota, to report any voting violations.
    — John Lauritsen, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Though consumers are advised to eat smaller fish or to trim away belly fat and dark meat to remove contaminants, blue catfish is increasingly popular table fare.
    — Tovar Cerulli, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026
  • And eight years later, officials finally began the process of cleaning up lead, arsenic, and other contaminants.
    — Yona Gavino, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • And a study published September isolated the most problematic pollutants by exposing mice to different airborne particles for five hours and then examining their brains.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 28 Oct. 2026
  • That benefit is amplified by the addition of 2% ectoin, a protective ingredient that defends skin against external irritants (like pollutants) and internal stressors (like hormonal changes) alike.
    — Deanna Pai, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • In one of the heaviest contaminations of TCE and PCE documented, thousands of soldiers and their families were exposed to the solvents at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987.
    — WUFT News, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026
  • And the Food and Drug Administration is also investigating contaminations that may be tied to a different outbreak.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 24 July 2026
Noun
  • Purification removes unwanted impurities, while dehydration reduces moisture content.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Ice•ology trays use a slow-freezing process designed to separate impurities and air bubbles from the ice, creating crystal-clear cubes that elevate cocktails, mocktails and everyday beverages.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Defilements.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defilements. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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