1
as in desecration
an act of great disrespect shown to God or to sacred ideas, people, or things
for two centuries the Christian monasteries in England suffered defilements at the hands of Viking invaders
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contamination
something that is or that makes impure
souvenir shops, observation towers, and other tacky defilements on Civil War battlefields that should be considered hallowed ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defilement
Noun
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To Michael Hirsch, the desecration of hundreds of graves was a shanda, a shame, a ghoulish crime.—
Maria Cramer,
New York Times,
16 Feb. 2025 -
The killing and desecration of Laura continues resonating throughout the original show’s 30 episode run, even as Agent Cooper and the local police branch away from it and begin dealing with local corruption and assorted personal melodramas.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Testing revealed potential contamination with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1, commonly known as bird flu.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
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Undeclared allergens accounted for the most food recalls, followed by Listeria and Salmonella contamination.—
Elizabeth Yuko,
Health,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The violations for each of the officers included standard of conduct violations, death investigation procedure violations and report preparation violations.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
3 Mar. 2025
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Poppy Alexander, a partner at Whistleblower Partners who represents whistleblowers reporting corporate FCPA violations, echoes this thinking.—
Kristen Edgreen Kaufman,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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First, a recent independent study tested Girl Scout Cookies for contaminants and claimed to have found traces of glyphosate and lead.—
Stephanie Gravalese,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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Pacific Palisades residents who have been unable to safely use their tap water due to carcinogens in the system have a new tool to track their utility’s progress in flushing out the contaminants.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Arguments and accusations of blasphemy regarding teaching yoga sutras rather than Bible scripture are rife within the Black yoga community.—
Tamika Caston-Miller,
Outside Online,
26 Feb. 2025
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Throughout its engagement with the OIC, the special envoy has prioritized the protection of human rights, routinely championing the equal rights of religious minorities and opposing laws that criminalize blasphemy and apostasy.—
Arsalan Suleman,
Foreign Affairs,
24 Aug. 2017
Noun
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Republicans have voted to repeal a fee on methane emissions by oil and gas companies, which will almost certainly result in more releases of a powerful climate pollutant.—
Sammy Roth,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2025
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The tests so far do not conclusively show the landfill as the pollutants’ source, according to analysis of the results.—
Doug Thompson,
arkansasonline.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The unaccountable bureaucracy and bloated government that find a home there, and the public and private corruption that go along with them, face serious scrutiny and genuine antagonism for the first time in a while.—
Jack Butler,
National Review,
2 Mar. 2025
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Supporters hope the ex-governor can find success as a moderate with a tough-guy reputation, big name recognition and an ability to bring stability to city government amid Adams’ federal corruption indictment and Trump’s threats to the city.—
Chris Sommerfeldt,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Such a transformation would represent an irrevocable loss: a profound sacrilege not only to the city’s rich history but also to the cultural legacy for the future generations.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
23 Feb. 2025
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For many liberals and radicals, beginning with Lord Byron, Elgin was a vandal who had committed sacrilege.—
Ralph Leonard,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defilement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defilement. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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