PROFANATION Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

profanation

noun

ˌprä-fə-ˈnā-shən

Definition of profanation

as in sacrilege

an act of great disrespect shown to God or to sacred ideas, people, or things the First Book of the Maccabees tells of the profanation of the temple of Jerusalem by Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167 b.c.

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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 profanation Scottish hen parties were deemed to contain ritualistic profanation. — Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 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 The first assault is on the Nile itself, which is turned to blood, thereby ruining both agriculture and aquaculture in one swoop, a profanation with religious consequences. — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 28 Nov. 2019 His family has argued that the exhumation would amount to profanation of a burial site, and said the only alternative resting place for Franco should be inside the crypt of the Madrid cathedral, a suggestion that the government found unacceptable. — Raphael Minder, New York Times, 4 June 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for profanation

Noun

Advertisement To the Eagle Family, these scenes were sacrilege.

— Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of sacrilege

Noun

That belief is not Christianity, but a desecration of that religious tradition as severe as taking a sword to desecrate an altar.

— Seth Limmer, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
The ghoul had become an emblem of desecration, a predator violating the boundary between life and death, a corruptor of what was wholesome and decent.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of desecration

Noun

Shock and anger greeted the Pakistani Supreme Court's decision to uphold the conviction and death sentence of a Christian man accused of blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad.

— Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Or a plot to divert attention from Murphy’s blasphemy of her famously lucky number 13?

— Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of blasphemy

Noun

The Lakers, playing with Sexton as their primary ballhandler during the stretch, had four turnovers during the drought, including a shot clock violation after a timeout.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2026
The building didn’t just fall into disrepair but was legally condemned by the town of Branford due to fire safety and other code violations.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of violation

Noun

The ArkTrust Task Force, our public corruption task force, brings together federal, state, and local partners to investigate allegations of public corruption and ensure that no one is above the law.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Nov. 2026
Its image as a rollicking playpen of vice and corruption emerged in the ‘20s and ‘30s, partly out of screenplays by former Chicago newspaper man Ben Hecht.

— Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026

Definition of corruption

Noun

Seeman was caught on camera cursing at McBride during the Cardinals’ loss at the New York Giants.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of cursing

Noun

The performance became an unlikely flashpoint, with Bridgers responding to the criticism with characteristic irreverence.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 22 Oct. 2026
Having watched supposedly secure systems fail has given many an irreverence for authority and an impatience with grand theories.

— Harry Booth, Time, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of irreverence

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“Profanation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profanation. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of profanation

noun

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