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irreverence

noun

i-ˈre-v(ə-)rən(t)s How to pronounce irreverence (audio)
Definition of irreverencenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 hotel itself is staffed by a small but merry cadre of Lost Boys whose endearing mix of irreverence and can-doism gives the hotel its cool, devil-may-care personality. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026 Uniting these jokes is a streak of playful irreverence, a facility for tempering challenging ideas with American cultural references, and a reluctance to provide more explanation than necessary. — Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 Cassatt matches this irreverence in her paint handling, describing the upholstery in flickering, restless strokes. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026 Listening, empathy, caring, laughing, humor, irreverence, understanding and all the little things that make a human interaction better. — Nir Bashan, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for irreverence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irreverence
  1. blasphemy
  2. sacrilege
  3. violation
  4. desecration
  5. impiety
  6. cursing
  7. corruption
  8. insult
Noun
  • Or a plot to divert attention from Murphy’s blasphemy of her famously lucky number 13?
    — Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
  • That might have sounded like blasphemy just half a decade ago, but college football is always evolving, and Swinney is a man stuck in time.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of blasphemy
Noun
  • While this might seem like capitalist sacrilege, Gearin says there’s historical precedent for Indigenous peoples using plant medicine as a tool to navigate the practical demands of the world.
    — Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of sacrilege
Noun
  • Operators could now face fines of up to $50,000 per violation.
    — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The law firm's report released Thursday said Caldwell committed several violations of state policy.
    — MIKE CATALINI, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of violation
Noun
  • The gang steals sacred objects, but their movements around them can resemble ceremony not desecration.
    — Callum McLennan, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
  • These are two examples of politicians' truths among a plethora of others that are really lies, distortions, deceptions and desecrations of the citizens' trust in them.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of desecration
Noun
  • 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
Definition of impiety
Noun
  • Paxton had argued that the law-school clinic was not a classroom but a workplace, and that Fisher was punished not for expressing political views but because her cursing and volume had disrupted clinic business.
    — Benjamin Wofford, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The cursing is definitely a big part of being that age, and especially misplaced cursing is funny — kids who don’t exactly know how to curse correctly.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of cursing
Noun
  • The Justice Department, for instance, decimated its elite Public Integrity Section in early 2025 while the FBI disbanded a white-collar fraud and public corruption squad based out of its Washington field office.
    — PATRICK WHITTLE, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
  • But his support among Palestinians has withered during years of corruption and the sometimes violent advance of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
    — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of corruption
Noun
  • Frazier was a Black sharecropper’s son who’d overcome much hardship, and the insults stung.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
  • That kind of insult to excellence can't happen in college football, since every Saturday matters and losing just a couple of games, even early in the season and to good teams by narrow margins, can end your hopes (see Notre Dame last season).
    — Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of insult

Browse Nearby Words

irretrievable
irreverence
irreverences
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Cite this Entry

“Irreverence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irreverence. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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