IRREVERENCE Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

irreverence

noun

i-ˈre-v(ə-)rən(t)s

Definition of irreverence

as in blasphemy

an act of great disrespect shown to God or to sacred ideas, people, or things the sect has no tolerance for any irreverence directed toward their spiritual leader

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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 irreverence The screening usually focusses on clandestine hanky-panky, but this season the girls’ irreverence was so abundant that the producers treated them to an unprecedented second viewing night. — Lillian Fishman, New Yorker, 27 June 2026 There’s loneliness, pain and self-destruction in her binge drinking, humor that comes in her wild and free dancing, and irreverence in hanging with her beloved super-pup Krypto. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 25 June 2026 Viewed from the present, these young athlete-patriots seem to possess a quintessentially American mix of pride, irreverence, and subversion. — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 11 June 2026 The museum touts its irreverence, for example placing a portrait of George Washington by untrained artist Howard Finster with one by Gilbert Stuart. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 8 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for irreverence

Recent Examples of Synonyms for irreverence

Noun

Politicians and preachers denounced them for blasphemy, perversion, and their loud support for civil rights.

— Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2026
But no poll was taken after the postseason, which sounds like blasphemy in today’s age of sports.

— PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of blasphemy

Noun

To refer to the Manhattanite rock quintet as third best in any context feels like music sacrilege.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
Filming a talk show on a moving train brings its own set of audio and visual problems, but making this show any other way would be sacrilege.

— Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of sacrilege

Noun

If Paul Baker wins, Nina will report the zoning violation that is their household.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
Other alleged violations — which total 23 in all — range from not having any smoke or carbon monoxide detectors throughout the property to failing to maintain the building in a structurally safe and stable condition.

— Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of violation

Noun

When Debbie, Susan, and Thom come over for a double-date pizza night, only Bret is concerned about the spate of recent home invasions, the missing pets, and the desecration of the griffin mascot.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of desecration

Noun

Hoodoo was not only considered a means of assisting people; it has also been associated with hexing or cursing and, in the 18th and 19th centuries, with poisoning.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
Danhausen transcended into the mainstream zeitgeist after cursing and un-cursing the New York Knicks en route to the team winning the NBA Championship after a 52-year drought.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Definition of cursing

Noun

Democrats avoid division The Democrats’ corruption talk of 2026 checks all of these boxes.

— Robert Boatright, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
The limited testimony that led to the grand jury’s decision not to bring criminal charges reveals a larger culture of secrecy and corruption in Tallahassee, said José Javier Rodríguez, the Democrat running to unseat Uthmeier in November.

— Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of corruption

Noun

He was subsequently dismissed by Dior and, months later, found guilty by a French court of making public insults based on origin, religion, race, or ethnicity.

— Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 31 Aug. 2026
The arrest came after Kelley Wolf had reportedly made a series of hostile social media posts, which featured insults and allegations against various friends and family, including her ex-husband, Wolf.

— Edward Segarra, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of insult

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irretrievable

irreverence

irreverences

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“Irreverence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irreverence. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of irreverence

noun

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