as in blasphemous
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as in desecration
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of desecrating
Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 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
Cops arrested a pair of teen vandals Thursday and charged them with desecrating a Brooklyn playground in a Jewish neighborhood with more than 50 swastikas during a two-day attack, police and city officials said.
—Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 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
-
Ja Morant Let’s get blasphemous.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
-
The Satanic Verses stirred controversy after some considered its portrayal of the Prophet Muhammed blasphemous.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Brothers Keith and Terrence Nicks were found guilty by separate juries of desecration of human remains, removal of human remains and removal of more than 10 gravestones and markers.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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Later that day, her 25-year-old son, Khadir Jones, was arrested and charged with desecration of human remains, My Central Jersey reported.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Ramsey Orta, who famously recorded the police chokehold killing of Eric Garner in 2014, is back in legal hot water, accused of violating his supervised release in a gun case by assaulting two men in a Brooklyn smoke shop last July.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
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Rice was suspended for six games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.—
Jane Harper,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Not playing Notre Dame anymore is sacrilegious.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 2026
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That some do not agree with our message does not render our display sacrilegious or is the cause of any 'scandal' to the faithful.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
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At least, there was a lot less wrecking.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
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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
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Tempers flared at an Olympic curling match between Canada and Sweden Friday with a profane insult being hurled after allegations of cheating were made.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
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Less than a week after calling out Oklahoma State fans for a profane anti-Mormon chant that led to a $50,000 fine for the school, Young had to brace for whatever the reaction would be to Wright.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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He was initially charged in July 2025 and indicted by a grand jury on one count of malicious destruction of government property in August 2025.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
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The Michigan State Police says the suspect now faces 11 felony charges and eight misdemeanor charges that include check fraud and malicious destruction of property.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Charming, disarming, outgoing, chatty, funny, a little irreverent.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2026
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Leonard Bernstein was commissioned to write a theatrical piece for the center’s opening in 1971, which turned out to be an irreverent ‘Mass’ — musically, liturgically, culturally and, most assuredly, politically.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desecrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desecrating. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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