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
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
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
Verb
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
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
-
During the Middle Ages, for example, many contemporary accounts from both Christian and Muslim societies depicted their opposing side as barbaric, blasphemous, and inferior.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The Satanic Verses stirred controversy after some considered its portrayal of the Prophet Muhammed blasphemous.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Against desecration of our flag bill 4.—
Gary Franks,
Hartford Courant,
4 Apr. 2026
-
In both films, the effect is of a diminution, a depersonalization—not to say, a desecration of the experience of horror that the documentary element embodies.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Josett pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors, including unauthorized computer access and fraud; annoying and repeated phone calls; and contempt of court for violating the restraining order.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The officer’s actions after finding the warrant, while definitely violating the spirit of the act, may actually expose some gray areas in the application of the law, said Tsao, who also works as senior policy counsel for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Next Generation was sacrilegious to most Trekkies.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Not playing Notre Dame anymore is sacrilegious.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 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
-
Ball was also fined an additional $25,000 for using profane language during a live postgame television interview on Tuesday.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Ball was also fined an additional $25,000 for using profane language during a live postgame television interview.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The fighting has carved a path of destruction from agricultural towns near the border to Beirut, killing more than 2,000 people and displacing in excess of 1 million others, according to Lebanese authorities.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Washington wanted to test if the Iranian command, after seeing the destruction from six weeks of war and the killing of its Supreme Leader, would now bend to its will, experts said.—
Saeed Shah,
Time,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The same is true of Mindelle, who is also fearless as our narrator, the heart of the show, and its campiest, most-irreverent player.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Then there’s Lola Wines, best known for its fresh, esoteric white wines, like Malvasia Bianca and Fiano, and the renegade Tank Garage Winery, beloved by millennials and Gen-Z for its one-off, offbeat blends with irreverent names.—
Jess Lander,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desecrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desecrating. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
