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
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as in blasphemous
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as in desecration
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Recent Examples of desecrating
Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
Gonzalez-Rasalas was charged with murder, desecrating a body and auto theft in a gruesome 2023 Easter Sunday homicide.
—Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desecrating
Verb
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Court records state that on June 4, 2024, X suspended Plummer’s original account for violating its rules against violent speech.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Brodie, whowas found guilty of violating American sanctions on Cuba in the early 2000s, was denied pardon by former President Joe Biden in 2023.—
Melanie Hicken,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Stowe is known mainly for Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a novel profoundly informed by her Christian nationalist belief that the United States was failing in its mission to become a New Canaan, precisely because of the blasphemous practice of slavery.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
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To say that Judge does not have a signature October moment is blasphemous and far from the truth.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Complete and utter desecration of a national monument.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
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In fact, the party came within a single vote of getting a constitutional amendment prohibiting desecration of the flag through Congress two decades ago.—
Frederic J. Frommer,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But how can considering sincere questions of faith and meaning within a place of worship be sacrilegious or desperate?—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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Think that's wild and somehow sacrilegious?—
Marcus K. Dowling,
Nashville Tennessean,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The coaches also decided King’s wrecking-ball approach was effective.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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The addresses listed in the wrecking permits border the east of the truck plant where Ford makes its iconic Super Duty trucks, Expedition SUVs and luxury Lincoln Navigators.—
Olivia Evans,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But for the family, the sacred place was becoming profane.—
David Kushner,
Rolling Stone,
20 Oct. 2025
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In borrowing from a patchwork of references, and steeping them in a brew both sacred and profane, D’Angelo was doing more than homage.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Israeli officials say Hamas could hand over six more bodies immediately out of the 15 still believed in Gaza, though some remains may be impossible to recover amid widespread destruction.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
20 Oct. 2025
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Amid the destruction of war and the uncertainty of a ceasefire barely a week old, Palestinians in Gaza now face a stark reality.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Susan sounded irreverent, not official.—
NPR,
NPR,
18 Oct. 2025
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Season 27 of the beloved series is a ratings bonanza for Comedy Central, as well as a creative triumph for its showrunners, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and a delight for fans of irreverent topical satire.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desecrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desecrating. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
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