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profanations

noun

plural of profanation
as in corruptions
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.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for profanations
  1. violations
  2. desecrations
  3. insults
Noun
  • Previous efforts to broker even a partial ceasefire have repeatedly fallen apart within hours, with both sides accusing each other of violations.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Because there were code violations, such as missing fire extinguishers, everyone who had been sleeping in the clubhouse building could no longer do so.
    — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of violations
Noun
  • These attempts to keep down the unquiet dead were, besides being desecrations, exercises in a lot of heavy and often forbidden labor done on decaying bodies.
    — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
  • The idea that Watkins was an enabler of Gein’s murders and subsequent desecrations could be read merely as a part of the show’s aggressive and admitted mingling of fiction and reality.
    — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2025
Definition of desecrations
Noun
  • Those who drive past our protests and yell insults or flip us the bird are to be pitied.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 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 insults
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.

Browse Nearby Words

profanation
profanations
profanatory
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Cite this Entry

“Profanations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profanations. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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