DEFILEMENTS Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

defilements

noun

plural of defilement

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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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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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defilements

Noun

Previous efforts to broker even a partial ceasefire have repeatedly fallen apart within hours, with both sides accusing each other of violations.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
Because there were code violations, such as missing fire extinguishers, everyone who had been sleeping in the clubhouse building could no longer do so.

— Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of violations

Noun

That media might include activated carbon, KDF, calcium sulfite or some combination designed to reduce specific contaminants.

— Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026
As water flows through, the media traps or neutralizes certain contaminants before the water reaches you.

— Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of contaminants

Noun

Idaho sewage treatment plants aren’t supposed to release pollutants like these into the water — but over half of them did last year, according to a recent report from the Idaho Conservation League.

— Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 4 Sep. 2026
Temperatures are at record highs, currents are shifting and stronger storms wash more pollutants into the water, including sewage and fertilizers, which can trigger huge algae blooms.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of pollutants

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

Definition of contaminations

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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defilement

defilements

defiles

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“Defilements.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defilements. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of defilements

noun

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