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
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
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
But the books complement each other in isolating a specific strain of mid-century masculinity, one that’s a strange mix of entitlement and passivity, austerity and impiety, dutifulness and indifference.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2024
The impieties are to be taken as possibilities, not as actual truths.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023
Yet impieties are explosive, which may explain why comic careers oscillate between in and out, as with those of Lenny Bruce and Andrew Dice Clay—one going from sick to saintly, the other from provocatively transgressive to vehemently taboo, in short order.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023
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
Asclepius was a gifted healer, too gifted perhaps, and he was killed by Zeus for the impiety of raising the dead.
—Teju Cole, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023
Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
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
But the books complement each other in isolating a specific strain of mid-century masculinity, one that’s a strange mix of entitlement and passivity, austerity and impiety, dutifulness and indifference.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2024
The impieties are to be taken as possibilities, not as actual truths.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023
Yet impieties are explosive, which may explain why comic careers oscillate between in and out, as with those of Lenny Bruce and Andrew Dice Clay—one going from sick to saintly, the other from provocatively transgressive to vehemently taboo, in short order.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023
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
Asclepius was a gifted healer, too gifted perhaps, and he was killed by Zeus for the impiety of raising the dead.
—Teju Cole, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impiety
Noun
-
In 2011, as governor of Punjab, Pakistan’s largest province, he was assassinated by his own bodyguard for defending a Christian woman accused of blasphemy.—
Aatish Taseer,
Time,
15 July 2025
-
Earlier, during his days with Monty Python, Gilliam co-wrote biblical black comedy The Life of Brian, whose themes of religious satire drew accusations of blasphemy and protests.—
Nancy Tartaglione,
Deadline,
7 July 2025
Noun
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And still, Wankdorf Stadium heaved with Portuguese song, as if any other noise outside of a goal celebration might border on sacrilege.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
4 July 2025
-
But replacing barley malt with rice still might strike some beer aficionados as sacrilege.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
Those who break the rules of grammar are often heroes, especially when their violations are in the service of supplying, say, great dialogue (Mark Twain, Ralph Ellison, Don DeLillo).—
J.T. Barbarese,
New York Daily News,
18 Aug. 2025
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Further, Disability Rights Wisconsin would lose 62% of its funding for preserving the rights of people with mental illness and investigating abuse, neglect and rights violations across the state's in-patient facilities.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In 1870, lawyers founded the City Bar to confront corruption in the courts under Tammany Hall.—
Muhammad U. Faridi,
New York Daily News,
17 Aug. 2025
-
Adams had been facing federal corruption charges but these were dropped by the Trump administration.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Past cases involving flag burning Flag desecration and burning have long been a point of discussion among U.S. lawmakers.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
21 June 2025
-
Encampments, flag desecration, face coverings, and masks intended to conceal identity are prohibited.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 July 2025
Noun
-
Scottish hen parties were deemed to contain ritualistic profanation.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
28 Mar. 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
-
As an undergraduate in the 1960s, I was drawn to the experimental irreverence of writers of the Beat generation.—
Literary Hub
July 28,
Literary Hub,
28 July 2025
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Referencing the old prison doors which were covered with various scribblings, the luxurious modern bathroom is covered with a contemporary interpretation of handwriting to add a little irreverence.—
Rana Good,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impiety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impiety. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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