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 By the early 1990s, Eugene had earned itself a reputation as a beacon of progressive-minded irreverence, drawing a pungent mix of weirdos, iconoclasts, and freethinkers. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for irreverence

Recent Examples of Synonyms for irreverence

Noun

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

— Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 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

Under Arkansas law, anyone selling alcohol on a Sunday without a permit can be found guilty of a violation fined up to $250.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
Both men were denied parole last year, in part because of their use of contraband cellphones and other violations of prison rules.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 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

At the center of the story is Rashid, a prison guard who has been suspended from his job after being accused of corruption.

— Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
Described as a combination of Filipino genre cinema with American indie grit, the film explores themes including class, power and corruption.

— Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of corruption

Noun

Not only did the boycott fail to keep the company from slapping its Black customers in the face with its Jim Crow costume, but the insult happened with two Black men on the company’s board of directors.

— Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
This much was clear from the insults continually traded between the two sets of fans.

— Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 6 Sep. 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 12 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of irreverence

noun

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