as in pernicious
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defiling
Adjective
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Unlike the branching corals, which were victims of water that at one point reached hot tub temperatures, pillar coral’s killer was mostly a pernicious and little understood coral disease, story coral tissue loss disease, although extreme heat did claim some.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
24 Oct. 2025 -
Worse, many engaged in a particularly rash form of gaming, making high-speed wagers on in-game action — a pernicious new product called microbetting.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The new material uses a common wood waste product to create a greener future for electronics, removing toxic metals and avoiding complex, polluting manufacturing methods.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
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Solar Power to the Amazonian People Many riverside communities throughout the Amazon basin lack access to electricity and often depend on polluting kerosene lamps and diesel generators for light and power.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In September, Nevada’s Bureau of Water Pollution Control fined the company nearly $250,000 for violating environmental regulations nearly 800 times in the last two years, including for spilling untreated groundwater onto public roads and not reporting it to authorities, ProPublica first reported.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
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Council President Joe LaCava simply gave a hand-slap to Surf Cup for violating the deed restrictions, granting it the right to continue with commercial use.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Is the prize of being the sexiest man alive cursed?—
Choire Sicha,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
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The blockbuster — which follows a treasure hunter who accidentally awakens a cursed Egyptian priest with supernatural powers — also cemented Fraser as a bankable action hero.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In November 2024, an American citizen was among six tourists who died in Laos, where alcohol tainted with methanol was blamed for poisoning them.—
Jay Ganglani,
NBC news,
5 Nov. 2025
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What about him specifically bothers you especially in terms of poisoning the youth?—
Jayson Buford,
Rolling Stone,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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But unlike Materialists, those movies—pictures like Leo McCarey’s The Awful Truth or Preston Sturges’ The Palm Beach Story—emerged in a time when Hollywood censors were keeping a close eye on movies’ ideology, determined to protect audiences from unwholesome influences.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
13 June 2025
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By mid-afternoon the weather turned downright unwholesome.—
Arthur Grahame,
Outdoor Life,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Which makes Shelley Joseph today’s poster gal for the corrupt double standards in the Massachusetts legal system.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
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Trump is running the most brazenly corrupt administration in modern history.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Only the first is still fashionable, and the last has been so debased, misused, and weaponized over the centuries as to be almost unspeakable in polite company.—
Zadie Smith,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
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But in recent years, acts of brazen violence have been the grim drumbeat of a debased national politics.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiling. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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