as in blasphemous
not showing proper reverence for the holy or sacred
a sacrilegious, obscene joke—and told in church at that!
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Recent Examples of sacrilegious
But how can considering sincere questions of faith and meaning within a place of worship be sacrilegious or desperate?
—
Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Think that's wild and somehow sacrilegious?
—Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean, 27 Sep. 2025
Any extra trimmings would land somewhere between glib and sacrilegious.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2025
Drinking a Bloody Mary at night just feels wrong and confusing, sacrilegious even, which is hilarious because everything else goes.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sacrilegious
Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Think that's wild and somehow sacrilegious?
—Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean, 27 Sep. 2025
Any extra trimmings would land somewhere between glib and sacrilegious.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2025
Drinking a Bloody Mary at night just feels wrong and confusing, sacrilegious even, which is hilarious because everything else goes.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sacrilegious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sacrilegious
Adjective
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Ja Morant Let’s get blasphemous.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
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The Satanic Verses stirred controversy after some considered its portrayal of the Prophet Muhammed blasphemous.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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While no formal announcement has been made to update its longstanding alcohol ban, Andrew Leber of Tulane University said this is in line with the Kingdom’s past approach to such potentially impious reforms.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Dec. 2025
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The only true dictionary is the lost one, the dictionary of the language that perished when the impious tower was built: the original language, God’s language.—
Mariana Dimópulos,
Harpers Magazine,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Nearly half of 18-to-29-year-olds — raised by the most secular generation before them — have no religious affiliation at all — the highest share ever recorded for any generation.—
Ariel David,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Mar. 2026
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The proposal called for a curriculum combining secular coursework with daily Jewish religious studies.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude.—
Chas Newkey-Burden,
TheWeek,
16 Mar. 2026
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The White House has also pushed out a wave of wartime propaganda on social media, often striking the same irreverent, bullish tone, experts noted.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Wild rhythms evoke the rupture of that earth, making way for the pagan rituals that herald the arrival of spring.—
Luis Palomares,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
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The group – which touts itself as a pagan collective that worships Norse gods – also took credit for originally catapulting Springfield onto the national stage by amplifying ugly memes about the Haitians.—
Caitlin Hu,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sacrilegious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sacrilegious. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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