as in blasphemous
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as in desecration
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as in violating
to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect
vandals desecrated the cemetery last night by covering the tombstones with graffiti
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Recent Examples of desecrating
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
The case intensifies international scrutiny of Israel’s treatment of religious minorities, following recent incidents of soldiers desecrating Christian religious symbols in Lebanon.
—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
This week’s discovery of the antisemitic graffiti follows the arrest of two teenage vandals for desecrating a Brooklyn playground in a Jewish neighborhood with more than 50 swastikas in January.
—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2026
And a coke-snorting, heirloom-desecrating, funeral-crashing adversary at that.
—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2026
With the help of that tiny clipping of moss, the defendants were eventually convicted of desecrating human remains in 2015.
—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
5 Mar. 2026
Gonzales-Rosales was charged with killing and desecrating a woman, his neighbor, on Easter in 2023.
—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
One is about civic commonality, the other about authoritarian cynicism; one is about a city pulling together around a common pleasure, the other about desecrating the decorum of democracy.
—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
The case intensifies international scrutiny of Israel’s treatment of religious minorities, following recent incidents of soldiers desecrating Christian religious symbols in Lebanon.
—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
This week’s discovery of the antisemitic graffiti follows the arrest of two teenage vandals for desecrating a Brooklyn playground in a Jewish neighborhood with more than 50 swastikas in January.
—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2026
And a coke-snorting, heirloom-desecrating, funeral-crashing adversary at that.
—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2026
With the help of that tiny clipping of moss, the defendants were eventually convicted of desecrating human remains in 2015.
—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
5 Mar. 2026
Gonzales-Rosales was charged with killing and desecrating a woman, his neighbor, on Easter in 2023.
—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desecrating
Adjective
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Many of their performances are blasphemous, and their work only displays hate and mockery of Catholics and the Christian faith.
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This way of approaching the story would help make its portrait of Jesus all the more human, and, to some, all the more blasphemous.
Noun
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The Tesla’s desecration follows a vandalism spree in Queens that saw religious centers, homes and vehicles defiled with swastikas and antisemitic slogans last month.
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However, the Supreme Court in several cases has struck down any improper use or desecration of the flag on the grounds of free speech, according to the Library of Congress’ most frequently asked questions about flag law.
Verb
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Officials accused her in the letter of violating the university’s time, place and manner policy, which sets rules on free speech activities on campus.
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In March, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a lawsuit against Kalshi for allegedly violating the state's Lawful Sports Betting Act by allowing residents to participate in sports betting under the form of trading event contracts.
Adjective
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Even the recipe deemed sacrilegious in Carbonaragate cannot evoke the same dramatic reactions or touch the same sensitivities that surround cheese—a relationship that, like wine and bread, is often inseparable from faith, sometimes quite literally.
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In any other context, a house of God smattered with people staring at their phones, trusting AI to speak to them, might feel sacrilegious.
Noun
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At least, there was a lot less wrecking.
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The Ravens haven’t really had that game-wrecking pass rusher since Terrell Suggs was in his prime.
Adjective
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Crow-Armstrong’s poor offensive start doomed his chance to start, while the bad national publicity stemming from a viral video of his profane reaction to a harassing female White Sox fan probably didn’t help matters.
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And yet, in their quest for culinary perfection, and as Carmy evaluates his decision to retire, the group pulls together without resorting to the profane, deafening chaos that characterized their previous work, almost entirely thanks to Sydney’s opposite-in-every-way leadership style.
Noun
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Rodríguez said authorities have recorded 862 aftershocks since the main quakes and confirmed that 189 buildings collapsed completely nationwide, the vast majority in La Guaira, the coastal state that suffered the worst destruction.
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Our previous card featured the fiery destruction of the Missouri Pacific depot in 1909.
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.
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The movie had an irreverent spark that felt refreshing, fueling its buoyancy and pumping blood to its ample heart.
Cite this Entry
“Desecrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desecrating. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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