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 magnificence of the AI renaissance has blinded our society to its pernicious creep into the arts.
    — David Barber, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of pernicious
Verb
  • Such plans are contrary to Indonesia’s promises to cut its use of coal, the most heavily polluting major fossil fuel and a significant source of planet-warming emissions.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Environmental groups advocated for SB 954 over concerns that the CEQA exemption could allow heavily polluting facilities to bypass environmental review.
    — Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of polluting
Verb
  • George, despite missing significant time because of a 25-game suspension for violating NBA drug policy, had a good season on both ends.
    — Tony Jones, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • In May, two children were taken by their mother, violating a court order, and were reported missing in Hillsborough County.
    — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of violating
Adjective
  • With Brown, Amos makes twinkly, off-kilter experimental songs that sometimes sound as though they’re being piped out of a cursed music box.
    — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of cursed
Verb
  • This is the league, remember, where a man (Harvey Updyke) confessed to poisoning the trees at Auburn on a radio show after Alabama lost to the Tigers, and a coach (Jackie Sherrill at Mississippi State) castrated a bull to motivate his squad.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
  • 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
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
  • Fascism and communism are political systems designed to benefit society’s most inadequate and corrupt.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2026
  • This is the most corrupt administration in the history of America, and what corruption really is is stealing from my constituents.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 6 Sep. 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
defiling
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Cite this Entry

“Defiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiling. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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