as in blasphemous
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in desecration
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in violating
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of desecrating
Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
This week’s discovery of the antisemitic graffiti follows the arrest of two teenage vandals for desecrating a Brooklyn playground in a Jewish neighborhood with more than 50 swastikas in January.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 6 May 2026
And a coke-snorting, heirloom-desecrating, funeral-crashing adversary at that.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
With the help of that tiny clipping of moss, the defendants were eventually convicted of desecrating human remains in 2015.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2026
Gonzales-Rosales was charged with killing and desecrating a woman, his neighbor, on Easter in 2023.
—Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
The case intensifies international scrutiny of Israel’s treatment of religious minorities, following recent incidents of soldiers desecrating Christian religious symbols in Lebanon.
—Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
This week’s discovery of the antisemitic graffiti follows the arrest of two teenage vandals for desecrating a Brooklyn playground in a Jewish neighborhood with more than 50 swastikas in January.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 6 May 2026
And a coke-snorting, heirloom-desecrating, funeral-crashing adversary at that.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
With the help of that tiny clipping of moss, the defendants were eventually convicted of desecrating human remains in 2015.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2026
Gonzales-Rosales was charged with killing and desecrating a woman, his neighbor, on Easter in 2023.
—Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desecrating
Adjective
-
Many of their performances are blasphemous, and their work only displays hate and mockery of Catholics and the Christian faith.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
-
This way of approaching the story would help make its portrait of Jesus all the more human, and, to some, all the more blasphemous.—
Isaac Butler,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Gerlach is facing nearly 500 charges — including burglary, abuse of a corpse and desecration of monuments — tied to a disturbing investigation at Mount Moriah Cemetery near Philadelphia, the outlet reported.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Against desecration of our flag bill 4.—
Gary Franks,
Hartford Courant,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Both Israel and Hezbollah — which was not party to the ceasefire — accuse each other daily of violating the truce.—
Khaled Wassef,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
-
Section 301 allows the USTR to investigate countries potentially violating other nations’ trade agreements or practices that hurt US business.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
In any other context, a house of God smattered with people staring at their phones, trusting AI to speak to them, might feel sacrilegious.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
26 May 2026
-
Call me sacrilegious, but there’s one place that a King’s Hawaiian roll tastes even better than the altar rail, and that’s at the beach.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
At least, there was a lot less wrecking.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The Ravens haven’t really had that game-wrecking pass rusher since Terrell Suggs was in his prime.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Directed by Nicolas Athane and Marco Nguyen, Jim Queen is a crass, profane, giddily stupid romp through a heap of stereotypes about gay life in Paris.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
-
This is all, of course, a provocation, a way of merging the sacred and profane, and asking which is which.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
He was indicted on three counts -- destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
-
Yes, the Cal State Fullerton softball team continued its destruction of the Big West Conference.—
Brian Robin,
Oc Register,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
For young men feeling dejected by the public conversation about toxic masculinity, Tate’s celebrations of manhood were galvanizing, and his mocking assaults on feminism felt bracingly irreverent.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
-
Bernardi prefers to craft a new panto each year but the enthusiastic response to the company’s irreverent 2022 reworking of the Charles Dickens classic, both from audiences and from the actors who were in it, led to this revival.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desecrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desecrating. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
