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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Rabbi Andrew Schultz, executive director of the Community Alliance for Jewish Affiliated Cemeteries, said this option does not align with Jewish burial traditions, though many secular Jews inquire about alternate practices.—
Hannah Kliger,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
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Judging by her writings, Raha belonged to a milieu in Tehran where the arts are a secular religion.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Leonard Bernstein was commissioned to write a theatrical piece for the center’s opening in 1971, which turned out to be an irreverent ‘Mass’ — musically, liturgically, culturally and, most assuredly, politically.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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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,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Groundhog Day is its pagan echo — a reading of light and shadow, an old way of guessing at spring.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Feb. 2026
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Over the course of that months-long reporting, a picture has emerged of the radical characters involved with the property, including a notorious neo-Nazi family and a pagan mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
15 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sacrilegious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sacrilegious. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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