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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defilements
Noun
  • Both contaminants have been found in groundwater across the state, requiring costly remediation or filtration to protect residents.
    Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The federal agency has been working to reduce dietary exposure to contaminants for children to as close to zero as possible.
    Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Scientists have developed a new method that removes toxic pollutants from wastewater.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025
  • On one end, oil refining emits more air pollutants than any other process in the oil industry.
    Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Racing co-owner Michael Jordan to sue NASCAR in federal court, alleging antitrust violations.
    Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The process of retrieving remains is plagued a deep sense of distrust that has prevailed between the two parties both throughout the past two years of war and in a ceasefire period already marked by dueling accusations of violations.
    Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Feedstock impurities pose another challenge.
    Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Start with a gentle, refreshing cleanser to remove impurities without stripping the skin.
    Essence, Essence, 8 Oct. 2025
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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Defilements.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defilements. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on defilements

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!