as in blasphemy
an act of great disrespect shown to God or to sacred ideas, people, or things
the unspeakable impiety of spitting in a church
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Recent Examples of impiety
Even aside from Trump’s own enthusiastic personal immorality and impiety, his political style — the pugnacious smear artist and demagogic braggart — was the antithesis of what evangelicals had sought before.
—
Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 23 Sep. 2025
By one hand, he is bound to himself, to his impiety, his recklessness, his envy and pride, his guilt and spite.
—Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
Clouzot supplied that insight in strong visual terms: Fresnay’s conflicting impiety and righteous anger and so much dissatisfaction and panic among the townsfolk.
—Armond White, National Review, 20 Nov. 2024
If Socrates were still around (Letters, Nov. 3), he wouldn’t be canceled for impiety and corrupting the youth.
—Stephen Borkowski, WSJ, 7 Nov. 2023
Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 23 Sep. 2025
By one hand, he is bound to himself, to his impiety, his recklessness, his envy and pride, his guilt and spite.
—Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
Clouzot supplied that insight in strong visual terms: Fresnay’s conflicting impiety and righteous anger and so much dissatisfaction and panic among the townsfolk.
—Armond White, National Review, 20 Nov. 2024
If Socrates were still around (Letters, Nov. 3), he wouldn’t be canceled for impiety and corrupting the youth.
—Stephen Borkowski, WSJ, 7 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impiety
Noun
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Some of the Friend’s followers—men, it must be said—turned on the group, stirring up land disputes and forcibly delivering the Friend a warrant for blasphemy.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
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While in prison for blasphemy, Lee had a risqué vision of Adam and Eve, and concluded that celibacy was the cure for worldly temptation.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Doing anything else would be sacrilege to the faithful, as well as false to the friendship that exists at the center of this Broadway behemoth.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
18 Nov. 2025
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In 1998, the Lucky Chances casino opened, surrounded by graveyards on three side, which critics saw as a sacrilege.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The bill specifically targeted local jails holding people accused of civil violations.—
Jennifer Mayerle,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
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If the sale does go through, the administration can still use its enforcement powers to make sure any new owner corrects open violations and adheres to rent-stabilization laws.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Conditions were only made worse by recent military defeats, crippling sanctions, corruption, and an unparalleled water crisis.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
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The improvement at Eskom, which provides 80% of the country’s power generation, comes after years of mismanagement, corruption scandals, and bailouts for ongoing debt problems.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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There’s gore, demogorgons, demodogs, sexuality, cursing, weapons, drinking, and even death.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
8 Jan. 2026
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Pete Golding went from a cursing curiosity in the coaching ranks to taking on legendary status in Ole Miss football history Thursday night.—
Mike Griffith,
AJC.com,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Scottish hen parties were deemed to contain ritualistic profanation.—
Victor J. Blue,
Harpers Magazine,
23 Nov. 2025
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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
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The publication is a stylish bible of the young downtown set and is known for its irreverence, early internet aesthetic, and buzzy parties, which reportedly draw rapturous crowds.—
Niela Orr,
Vulture,
13 Jan. 2026
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Cumming’s selection continues BAFTA’s recent tradition of choosing hosts who can balance irreverence with reverence, as the ceremony seeks to maintain its prestige while remaining accessible to a global audience.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
18 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impiety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impiety. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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