desecrating 1 of 3

adjective

as in blasphemous

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desecrating

2 of 3

noun

as in desecration

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desecrating

3 of 3

verb

present participle of desecrate
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

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
Verb
The penalty is identical to that for desecrating the flag or other national emblem of a foreign state, which was already in place. — News Desk, Artforum, 17 July 2026 One is about civic commonality, the other about authoritarian cynicism; one is about a city pulling together around a common pleasure, the other about desecrating the decorum of democracy. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 June 2026 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
  1. blasphemous
  2. desecration
  3. violating
  4. sacrilegious
  5. wrecking
  6. profane
  7. destruction
  8. irreverent
Adjective
  • Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then Iran's supreme leader, denounced the book as blasphemous, leading to a call for Rushdie's death in 1989, according to the Department of Justice.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 30 July 2026
  • Some Muslims saw it as blasphemous, and often-violent protests erupted against Rushdie, who was born into a Muslim family.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
Definition of blasphemous
Noun
  • He was convicted of offenses including desecration of national symbols, contempt and public ​disorder, and spent five years in the Guanajay prison near Havana.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 19 July 2026
  • With the ruin of Troy also came the desecration of Zeus’ law, which proved dangerous to the returning Ithacans.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
Definition of desecration
Verb
  • Rezaei accused Washington of violating the memorandum of understanding and launching attacks without first referring the issue to the dispute resolution committee.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The genocide case is before the International Court of Justice, where South Africa has accused Israel of violating the Genocide Convention.
    — Arielle Kaden, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of violating
Adjective
  • Because xenia rested on mutual trust, violating it was considered not just rude but sacrilegious.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 19 July 2026
  • So special that the very idea of wearing them again was sacrilegious.
    — Rebecca Cope, Vogue, 7 July 2026
Definition of sacrilegious
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
Definition of wrecking
Adjective
  • But the school’s dress code prohibits messages that are lewd, indecent, vulgar or profane.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026
  • While his exhortation left off Brady’s signature profane intensifier, the motivational gambit remained explicit even in the absence of the familiar F-bomb.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of profane
Noun
  • Since October 2023, the number and severity of settler attacks have skyrocketed, including arson and other destruction of property, the killing of livestock, violent assaults and murder, taking place almost every day.
    — Kamel Musallet, Sun Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026
  • While the film has long been remembered for ambition, excess, and destruction, Tyga saw another narrative waiting beneath the chaos—a love story.
    — Desjah Altvater, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of destruction
Adjective
  • These anti-fascist singalongs slot into a more playful and irreverent tradition, one more in line with the snotty pop-punk and ska bands who railed against GOP war-mongering in the early 2000s.
    — Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The novel was adapted for a 1979 film but is now getting new life on Netflix with a cast of young talent and an irreverent bend to the writing.
    — Madeleine Janz, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of irreverent

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Cite this Entry

“Desecrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desecrating. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of desecrating for Spanish Speakers

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