as in atheistical
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
Loading your audio article SAN FRANCISCO — NBA commissioner Adam Silver understandably defended mounting criticism of the 3-point shot, and saying anything else would have been sacrilegious in the house Steph Curry built with his unparalleled 3-point prowess.
—
Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2025
Some fans will think supporting two different teams, let alone rivals, is sacrilegious.
—Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025
But the French debate over whether to show images of Muhammad, which many Muslims view as sacrilegious, is still being waged today.
—Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Jan. 2025
Griswold—whose father, once the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, consecrated the denomination’s first openly gay bishop—treats the pastors generously, though gingerly, constructing from their lowest moments an affecting study of sacred life in sacrilegious times.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sacrilegious
Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2025
Some fans will think supporting two different teams, let alone rivals, is sacrilegious.
—Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025
But the French debate over whether to show images of Muhammad, which many Muslims view as sacrilegious, is still being waged today.
—Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Jan. 2025
Griswold—whose father, once the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, consecrated the denomination’s first openly gay bishop—treats the pastors generously, though gingerly, constructing from their lowest moments an affecting study of sacred life in sacrilegious times.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sacrilegious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sacrilegious
Adjective
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Many Muslims found some of the depictions offensive and even blasphemous.—
Lola Fadulu,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
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The piece was dubbed blasphemous by many Muslims and has been banned in Iran since 1988.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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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
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This game must have seemed profane to the Greeks, or even impious.—
Simone Weil,
Harper's Magazine,
2 July 2024
Adjective
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The Honey Pot’s irreverent marketing spoke to an audience who didn’t see themselves in the legacy brands.—
Eric Ryan,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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Hidden behind a rickety bookcase in the hotel’s basement, the club reimagined the golden age of Hollywood with velvet booths and showgirls and white tails – mixed with irreverent contemporary flair like drag numbers, oddball skits and music acts.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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At the same time, global polarization around topics like migration and climate change has only grown since 2013, showing the limits of his influence in secular life.—
Sophie Hills,
Christian Science Monitor,
24 Apr. 2025
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The rumor that any secular art form was of the devil was easier to believe than a young Black man from Hazelhurst, Mississippi finding God through his guitar rather than the church.—
Taryn Finley,
Refinery29,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This attempt to turn back the clock included the purging of Christian texts from schools, the conversion of Christian churches into pagan temples, and religious persecution as it had been practiced in centuries past.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
22 Feb. 2025
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As de Kort tells Live Science, these treasures were buried in several deposits that might have constituted offerings to a pagan god—possibly Wodan, the Germanic persona of the Norse god Odin.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
12 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sacrilegious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sacrilegious. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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