as in violation
an act of great disrespect shown to God or to sacred ideas, people, or things
the communicants were aghast at the desecration of the altar
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Recent Examples of desecration
Leonard was also charged in Linn County with interference with law enforcement, criminal desecration, and having a vicious dog at large, according to a news release from Kansas City, Kansas, police.
—
Kendrick Calfee
updated January 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2026
The government called for a nationwide march on Monday in support of the regime and in opposition to what authorities described as recent acts of desecration and insults against Islamic symbols, including the Quran, by protesters.
—Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
He was charged with dozens more counts of criminal mischief, burglary, intentional desecration of a venerated object and other crimes.
—Emma Caughlan, NBC news, 9 Jan. 2026
Gerlach has been charged with 26 counts of burglary and criminal trespassing, in addition to abuse of a corpse and desecration and theft or sale of venerated objects.
—Alexandra Simon, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desecration
Kendrick Calfee
updated January 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2026
The government called for a nationwide march on Monday in support of the regime and in opposition to what authorities described as recent acts of desecration and insults against Islamic symbols, including the Quran, by protesters.
—Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
He was charged with dozens more counts of criminal mischief, burglary, intentional desecration of a venerated object and other crimes.
—Emma Caughlan, NBC news, 9 Jan. 2026
Gerlach has been charged with 26 counts of burglary and criminal trespassing, in addition to abuse of a corpse and desecration and theft or sale of venerated objects.
—Alexandra Simon, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desecration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desecration
Noun
-
Peters was found guilty of three counts of attempting to influence a public servant and one count each of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty and failure to comply with the requirements of the secretary of state.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Passengers who get banned from travel or booted off the plane for this violation may be eligible for a refund upon request, United adds.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Another young man, Mashal Khan, a university student and poet, was lynched by a mob of fellow students who accused him of blasphemy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
As depicted in the movie, Lee was arrested multiple times for blasphemy and disturbing the peace.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At issue was Sheikh Dibo’s description of the prayer that locals tend to say when visiting a grave; to the ISIS member, such prayers were sacrilege.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
-
That’s the ultimate Hollywood sacrilege.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Xi in recent years has supercharged an effort aimed at rooting out military corruption — since 2022, some 100 top officers have been dismissed or sidelined, a recent study estimated.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Political parties have pledged to amplify the voices of younger voters, promising to tackle corruption and improve governance.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Scottish hen parties were deemed to contain ritualistic profanation.—
Victor J. Blue,
Harpers Magazine,
23 Nov. 2025
-
No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move; ’Twere profanation of our joys To tell the laity our love.—
John Edgar Wideman,
The New Yorker,
8 July 2021
Noun
-
People went ballistic—cursing, yelling, screaming, all kinds of threats.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Once, politicians kept their cursing mostly private.—
Cal Thomas,
Arkansas Online,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Recovery has scarcely begun, but insult is being added to fire victims’ injuries as local officials — especially Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass — engage in a tawdry game of finger-pointing.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The last of these, which would have been an insult in previous eras, is part of the Buttigieg value proposition.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desecration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desecration. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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