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
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Microplastics are tiny fragments, that can be as small as 1/25,000th of an inch (1 micrometer) and are a pernicious part of the plastic pollution crisis.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026 -
What is more pernicious than the denial is the tacit acceptance of his behavior in the community, as the community was the lifeblood of his art.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As a brand built on ethical fashion on a mission to improve the industry, Everlane—and its CEO—has sold its soul to the devil by associating itself with one (if not the) most polluting fast-fashion player in the world.—
Clara Ludmir,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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Engineers and safety experts are solving problems in a new technology that gets us off expensive and polluting fossil fuels.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Spencer Pratt filed a formal complaint accusing his opponent, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, of violating election laws by allegedly campaigning too close to a ballot box.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
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Two years later, the FBI raided the apartment of the company's founder, Shayne Coplan, as part of a probe into whether Polymarket was violating that agreement.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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After witnessing so much destruction, Bear locks himself in the bathroom and tries to end the cursed wish by killing himself.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Verb
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The Maya were poisoning their own water.—
Lauren Mowery,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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The chemotherapy doctors are poisoning you.—
Eileen Finan,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
Adjective
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Their jail is strange and unwholesome.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
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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
Adjective
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Pratt, who did not respond to a request for comment, lost his Pacific Palisades home in the fires and has won over many frustrated city residents with his anti-establishment message and cheeky AI videos — including one casting him as Batman, taking on a corrupt Democratic bourgeoisie.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
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Well, that's absurd, and this was really corrupt from the start.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 May 2026
Adjective
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And this has lent Margot a debased sort of celebrity.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
6 Apr. 2026
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But the influencer landscape is getting debased and splintered and a bit draining, even for Kylie.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
11 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Defiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiling. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
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