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
For Western audiences, this abrupt pause may seem like a momentum-killer or even sacrilegious.
—
Viren Naidu, IndieWire, 24 Mar. 2025
The solution, too good to spoil here, involves a sacrilegious yet principled breach of a basic rule—and a tweak to a pitcher’s very identity.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 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, 7 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for sacrilegious
Viren Naidu, IndieWire, 24 Mar. 2025
The solution, too good to spoil here, involves a sacrilegious yet principled breach of a basic rule—and a tweak to a pitcher’s very identity.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 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, 7 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for sacrilegious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sacrilegious
Adjective
-
In Europe, the painting was received as a blasphemous shock.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
11 July 2025
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There’s a quiet and, some might argue, blasphemous revolution happening.—
Trinity Francis,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
This game must have seemed profane to the Greeks, or even impious.—
Simone Weil,
Harper's Magazine,
2 July 2024
Adjective
-
Kealoha was an irreverent rascal on set Everyone on the panel — and several other Lilo & Stitch team members in behind-the-scenes footage — agreed that Kealoha was a force to be reckoned with on set.—
Sharareh Drury,
People.com,
26 July 2025
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But Bella is a quick study, whisked away by a horny lawyer (Mark Ruffalo) in this jet-black comedy, which may be the purest expression of her irreverent, inspired goofball side.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
The secular shift is evident in the slope of the monthly cloud model, which points higher looking out to mid-2027.—
Katie Stockton,
CNBC,
28 July 2025
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The operating environment remains challenging for all ad sellers, particularly legacy companies coping with the secular decline of linear TV.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
22 July 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 6 Aug. 2025.
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