sacrilege

noun

ˈsa-krə-lij How to pronounce sacrilege (audio)
Definition of sacrilegenext
as in blasphemy
an act of great disrespect shown to God or to sacred ideas, people, or things spitting on the temple floor would be a great sacrilege

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 sacrilege That’s sacrilege on par with an Ohioan disowning football or a Texan recoiling at the smell of brisket, a Kentuckian thumbing his nose at college basketball. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 2 July 2026 Sure, Texans are very hospitable, but playing anything other than country music over the speakers is normally considered sacrilege in that establishment. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026 But by then, religious and political leaders from around the world condemned the image, some calling it a sacrilege. — Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026 In other words, there’s a chance that Jenner could reach free agency and sign with another club, an idea that would have seemed near sacrilege not long ago. — Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sacrilege
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sacrilege
  1. blasphemy
  2. desecration
  3. violation
  4. cursing
  5. profanation
  6. impiety
  7. corruption
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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of profanation
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
  • 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

Browse Nearby Words

sacrificing
sacrilege
sacrileges
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Cite this Entry

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on sacrilege

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sacrilege

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