Synonyms of desecrate

desecrate

verb

ˈde-si-ˌkrāt 

as in to violate

to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect

vandals desecrated the cemetery last night by covering the tombstones with graffiti

Synonyms & Similar Words

• violate
• destroy
• defile
• ravage
• demolish
• profane
• ruin
• raid
• insult
• blaspheme
• rob
• contaminate
• pollute
• soil
• taint
• swear
• defame
• offend
• despoil
• affront
• decimate
• plunder
• devastate
• wreck
• curse
• sully
• raze
• desacralize
• annihilate
• poison
• deconsecrate
• desanctify
• sack
• pillage
• befoul
• desolate
• loot
• outrage
• foul
• spoil
• waste
• strip
• ransack
• crush

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• bless
• dedicate
• honor
• consecrate
• sanctify
• respect
• hallow
• purify
• cleanse
• purge

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of desecrate

Then in January 2026, according to police, a potential family member reached out to police and said the mausoleum and grave of a relative at Riverview Cemetery were unlawfully desecrated in 2002. — David Chiu, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2026

Without criminal consequences, operators who profit from desecrating the dead have nothing to fear. — Susana Mendoza, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026

Skeletal remains found in a Wilmington, Delaware, park 15 years ago have been identified as a woman who died in 1907, and whose gravesite was later desecrated. — Joe Brandt, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2026

But as building efforts have ramped up, the administration has run into opposition from landowners, environmental groups, and Native American tribes who say construction is violating property rights and desecrating sacred Indigenous sites. — Mikella Schuettler, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026