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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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
-
Borderline blasphemous, for an undrafted rookie.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
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And all this on top of his blasphemous depiction of himself as Jesus Christ.—
Gary Franks,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
-
The Appeal-Democrat newspaper reported in a police blotter article last summer that Daniels was arrested on July 11 on suspicion of drug possession and violating parole, and he was booked then at the Yuba County Jail.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
6 May 2026
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He was twice arrested for protesting on OpenAI’s San Francisco campus, and arrested again in 2025 for violating a judge’s order not to return.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Adjective
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To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony.—
Jeremy Mennis,
The Conversation,
1 May 2026
-
Burstyn concerned a short film directed by Roberto Rossellini called The Miracle (1948) that had been banned in New York as sacrilegious.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
29 Apr. 2026
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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Knicks fans clearly remembered, booing Embiid the loudest during Monday’s pregame introductions and repeatedly directing profane chants at him.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
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Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine), who has endorsed Porter, points to the late beloved, oft-profane legislative leader John Burton of San Francisco as an example of a double standard.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Noun
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But Church, undeterred, was drawn to the idea that those processes offered lessons in destruction and renewal which could be applied to a nation teetering on civil war.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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The bottom line is that the pressure on the great American people, because of these people who are, like, really intent on American and Israeli destruction with their nuclear weapons are still in power.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude.—
Chas Newkey-Burden,
TheWeek,
24 Apr. 2026
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When The Rocky Horror Show began on stage in London in 1973, it was celebrated for its outrageous, irreverent spirit.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desecrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desecrating. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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