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
  • The report highlighted the gene-editing tool CRISPR, in particular, for its revolutionary positive and simultaneously pernicious potential.
    — Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • But herein also lie some of the issues that de-normalizing alcohol consumption brings to light, including its overlap with other, equally pernicious public health crises.
    — Tim Brinkhof, Time, 23 July 2026
Definition of pernicious
Verb
  • This novel legal approach, likened to a polluting factory, argues that AI chatbots cause mental harm, provide uncertified advice, and undermine public health and safety.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • This large mass will translate into higher quantities of polluting propellant needed to loft these systems off Earth and a much larger amount of metals vaporizing in Earth's atmosphere during reentry.
    — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of polluting
Verb
  • The Seoul Central District Court convicted Han, widow of church founder Sun Myung Moon, of violating the political funds act, bribery and embezzling church funds, the court said in a statement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The bill also increases the maximum penalties for violating local fireworks ordinances to $1,000 for a first offense, $2,000 for a second offense and $5,000 for each additional offense within five years of the first.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of violating
Adjective
  • The sequel ratchets up the stakes by saddling its cursed protagonist with not only a supernatural nightmare but the pressures of living under an intensely public spotlight.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The final position is right-back, the cursed area of last season.
    — Andy Jones, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of cursed
Verb
  • See affected product Symptoms of salmonella poisoning Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually start six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria.
    — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The burning of fossil fuels is poisoning the air our kids breathe and endangering their present and future by overheating our planet.
    — Catarina Rolfsdotter-Jansson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 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
  • And Alice’s superior, FBI agent Nora Washington (Quincy Tyler Bernstine), realizes that her corrupt boss Ed George (Danny McCarthy), who was covering up Easton’s crimes, will retain his ASAC position at the FBI.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
  • That strategy allowed the Kremlin to publicly deny the existence of political repression while portraying the opposition as inherently corrupt.
    — Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of corrupt
Adjective
  • 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
  • And this has lent Margot a debased sort of celebrity.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Apr. 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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defiles
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Cite this Entry

“Defiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiling. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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