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
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Recent Examples of irreverence
That balance between rigor and irreverence shapes everything from tasting room design to membership programs.
—
Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
The celebrity game does keep score, but its audience is more concerned with overall flow and irreverence.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Cort played Harold Chasen, a morbid 20-year-old obsessed with staging elaborate fake suicides, opposite Ruth Gordon as Maude, a 79-year-old Holocaust survivor who embraces life with irreverence and joy.
—Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Feb. 2026
That irreverence is something Lighton sensed from their first conversation.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for irreverence
Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
The celebrity game does keep score, but its audience is more concerned with overall flow and irreverence.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Cort played Harold Chasen, a morbid 20-year-old obsessed with staging elaborate fake suicides, opposite Ruth Gordon as Maude, a 79-year-old Holocaust survivor who embraces life with irreverence and joy.
—Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Feb. 2026
That irreverence is something Lighton sensed from their first conversation.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for irreverence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irreverence
Noun
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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
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As depicted in the movie, Lee was arrested multiple times for blasphemy and disturbing the peace.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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That’s the ultimate Hollywood sacrilege.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Another 24 teens were cited for curfew violations, police said.—
Lauren Victory,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
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Origen was not allowed to open after an eighth visit on March 21 found three violations (one high-priority), or after a ninth inspection on March 24 found three violations (one high-priority) and a 10th visit also found three violations (one high-priority) on March 25.—
Kari Barnett,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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Brothers Keith and Terrence Nicks were found guilty by separate juries of desecration of human remains, removal of human remains and removal of more than 10 gravestones and markers.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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The event, organized by the Shelby County Republican Party, turned out a small crowd and was greeted by some supportive honks from motorists, but also some cursing at Trump from people in at least two cars passing by.—
Oren Oppenheim,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
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And as Siniaková showed emotion of her own in the joy of vanquishing such a favorite, Andreeva started her walk out of the stadium that would end in cursing and acrimony.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Over the past decade, United States Attorney’s Offices in New York City, Boston and Philadelphia have charged dozens of individuals in corruption and fraud schemes involving college coaches, players and athletic department personnel.—
Robert L. Boone,
Sportico.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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Four people were charged Tuesday in connection a federal corruption investigation that has ensnared NYC Councilmember Farah Louis and a nonprofit providing homeless services to the city.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Cyrus said, with the two characters throwing insults at each other constantly.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Mar. 2026
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Droves of supporters commended a thoughtful gesture that, elsewhere on the internet, went over like an insult.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irreverence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irreverence. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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