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
  • But dropping the questions could boost responses without risking privacy violations.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
  • All critical violations were corrected, and the restaurant was allowed to reopen the following day.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 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
  • This much was clear from the insults continually traded between the two sets of fans.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • While his insults may be what many remember, Hilton was widely praised for lifting up artists, especially singers, thanks to what insiders call a true gift for spotting those on the rise long before others.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 2 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 11 Sep. 2026.

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