as in pernicious
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Dissimilar Words
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
-
This safety feature is indispensable, which makes this new wave of thefts particularly pernicious.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026 -
What frightens scientists more than the sheer numbers are that the cuts are arbitrary and manifestly pernicious.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Yet rivers remain at risk as polluting corporations and governmental activities violate their vitalizing flow.—
Andrea Gawrylewski,
Scientific American,
5 Dec. 2025
-
This rollback would move the auto industry backwards, keeping polluting cars on our roads for years to come and threatening the health of millions of Americans, particularly children and the elderly.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Jiankui spent three years in prison and was fined three million yuan (about $430,000 at the time) for violating medical regulations.—
Laura Dattaro,
Scientific American,
10 June 2026
-
Beavers was also indicted by a grand jury late last year for violating federal firearms laws.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
There’s a fine line between lucky and cursed, however, and Pulisic is straddling it.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2026
-
Feld debuted in West Town at what seemed to be a cursed space in June 2024.—
Louisa Kung Liu Chu,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Lewis was accused of poisoning two white female housemates, assaulted by a white mob in response to the charge, and acquitted in court, only to then be accused of stealing art supplies and prohibited from reënrolling.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
-
It was also used in a separate supply-chain attack poisoning dozens of Red Hat packages.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
Their jail is strange and unwholesome.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The public, however, knew what to expect from this unwholesome mixture of politics and celebrity and didn’t tune in.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
There's a corrupt deal happening at the biggest levels among the billionaire class to increase their wealth at the expense of many people are suffering greatly right now.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 June 2026
-
The police are a corrupt institution.—
Grace Byron,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
And this has lent Margot a debased sort of celebrity.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Now, several polls show that Wyomingites oppose killing wildlife with vehicles, which gives public officials in the next Legislative session an opening to prohibit this debased practice.—
Wendy Keefover,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Defiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiling. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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