defiling 1 of 2

adjective

as in pernicious

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defiling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of defile
1
as in polluting
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable supplies of meat that had been defiled by maggots

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in violating
to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect art conservators were careful not to do anything that might defile the holy relic

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defiling
  1. pernicious
  2. polluting
  3. violating
  4. cursed
  5. poisoning
  6. unwholesome
  7. corrupt
  8. debased
Adjective
  • Courtesy of WorldSkills Is one of the world’s most pernicious social stigmas finally lifting?
    — the Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Obscured Releasing has acquired North American distribution rights to The Drug in Our Pocket, a documentary by Anne Sundberg about the pernicious effects on young people of constant smartphone use.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of pernicious
Verb
  • Throwing a piece of garbage out of the window affects every Texan, polluting water and soil and affecting wildlife.
    — Katie Standing, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • This means the development of new clean energy sources will provide greater financial benefits to families rather than polluting, expensive, and outdated sources of energy like oil and gas.
    — Sanya Carley, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of polluting
Verb
  • In the letter, Omar's attorneys accused the Justice Department of violating longstanding agency policy designed to avoid potentially influencing an election.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • He was arrested again a week later after violating a protection order by trying to contact the woman, according to the arrest affidavit.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of violating
Adjective
  • In the cursed days of auto-sync, pre-mixed sets, and the celebrity spinner, few have done as much to defend the noble art of the DJ as Felix Manuel, aka Djrum, a selector who combines galactically expansive taste with equally vast technical skill.
    — Ben Cardew, Pitchfork, 17 Oct. 2026
  • This remake of the Japanese horror hit Ringu stars Naomi Watts as a Seattle reporter whose 8-year-old son (David Dorfman) watches a cursed videotape that marks him for death in seven days.
    — Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of cursed
Verb
  • May says national polarization is poisoning the atmosphere locally.
    — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • James Folta considers how generative AI is poisoning the literary well for everyone.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of poisoning
Adjective
  • Their jail is strange and unwholesome.
    — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Grievous bodily harm, nonconsensual drugging, murder, yes…still, thank god there’s nothing unwholesome here, like say a man in a dress.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Definition of unwholesome
Adjective
  • The most egregious perpetrators of fraud in the industry were corrupt doctors who were paid by patients to send insurance companies medical examination reports that omitted unfavorable findings.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • That unaffordability, Talarico argued at the nighttime rally in Texas that was packed with younger voters, is because billionaires and corrupt politicians have rigged the system.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of corrupt
Adjective
  • The plates feature debased imprints of the same signature shapes, creating a dialogue with the glasses.
    — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • That wasn’t its only subject; comedy and power and misogyny and creativity and intergenerational conflict and work ethic and, especially in its last few seasons, the debased state of the entertainment industry were all richly explored through lines.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 8 July 2026
Definition of debased
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

“Defiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiling. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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