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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
  • 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
  • But the specific way markets are taking root—with much of the population too poor to participate meaningfully, with no rule of law, and with the gap between winners and losers steadily widening—is pernicious for the country’s future.
    — Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of pernicious
Verb
  • Industrial animal agriculture confines and kills billions of animals while polluting waterways and damaging ecosystems.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Now 64, the executive chairman of $17 billion iron ore giant Fortescue is intent on upturning age-old practices in the heavily polluting $3 trillion mining industry.
    — Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of polluting
Verb
  • The group formally processed the vessel’s departure and was trying to avoid violating Panamanian law.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York has been suspended for six regular-season games and fined $500,000 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, the league announced Friday.
    — Erick Mendoza, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of violating
Adjective
  • The cursed island town in Widow’s Bay has summoned all kinds of supernatural entities, much to the dismay of its residents.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Circus of the Damned — An evil ringmaster tries to restore his cursed carnival with a new cast of clowns.
    — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of cursed
Verb
  • Could something so commonplace really be slowly poisoning people?
    — Sean McCann, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The court heard how the former nurse, now 36, attacked babies in her care by administering air into their blood and stomachs, overfeeding them with milk, physically assaulting them and poisoning them with insulin.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 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
  • Per the Season 4 logline, Dwight (Stallone) fights to legitimize his empire and protect his crew as corrupt politicians, dangerous new enemies, and a crushing personal loss hit from every direction.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The government is attempting to improve shattered services and open up an economy closed by the corrupt Assad regime, which ran the economy with an iron fist and embezzled billions for the Assad clan and their allies.
    — Taylor Luck, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Sep. 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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defiles
defiling
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Cite this Entry

“Defiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiling. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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