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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Heidi Dutton, 19, entered a guilty plea in May to two counts of first-degree-murder, conspiracy, and two counts of desecration of a human corpse in the deaths of Deborah and Larry Dutton, who were her biological grandparents and adoptive parents.—
Chris Spargo,
People.com,
11 June 2025 -
The Titanic isn't just a shipwreck — it’s widely regarded as a maritime grave, and some view any disturbance as a form of desecration.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
6 July 2025
Noun
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Thus, the finding of arsenic with the genetic material could have simply been contamination.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
25 July 2025
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Damaged packaging can increase contamination risk, and even foods that appear safe may pose health hazards.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 July 2025
Noun
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The flimsy pretense for the raid was that some NABU officers had been involved in traffic accidents and violations.—
Steve Cortes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 July 2025
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When an agent malfunctions in a production environment, the potential consequences include operational disruptions, security breaches, compliance violations and reputational damage.—
Olga Megorskaya,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
Noun
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The agency is closing the Office of Research and Development, which analyzes dangers posed by a variety of hazards, including toxic chemicals, climate change, smog, wildfires, indoor air contaminants, water pollution, watershed destruction and drinking water pollutants.—
Rob Stein,
NPR,
20 July 2025
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Used in everything from firefighting foams and waterproof clothing to nonstick kitchenware, PFAS contaminants have found their way into the human body through water and food.—
Jay Kakade
July 12,
New Atlas,
12 July 2025
Noun
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Read more Religious freedom School Vouchers Are a Big, Fat Tax Break for the Wealthy | Opinion Walker is now tasked with confronting China's church crackdowns, Pakistan's blasphemy laws, and Nigeria's ruthless slaughter of believers.—
Kevin Sabet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
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Many religious people who are not fluent in Italian who laughed at the meme or even repeated the words felt that they were tricked into blasphemy.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
29 May 2025
Noun
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People who may be especially sensitive to the effects of elevated levels of pollutants include the very young, the elderly, those with preexisting respiratory problems such as asthma, those with heart disease and anyone who is working hard outdoors.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 July 2025
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Unhealthy ozone levels form when pollutants from factories, cars or any sort of internal combustion engine react with the sun, Quigley said.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
Noun
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Check if the customer database can be fully restored within a 24-hour recovery time after simulated data corruption.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
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Fighting rampant government corruption was Zelensky’s main campaign pledge ahead of the 2019 election.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
23 July 2025
Noun
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And still, Wankdorf Stadium heaved with Portuguese song, as if any other noise outside of a goal celebration might border on sacrilege.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
4 July 2025
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But replacing barley malt with rice still might strike some beer aficionados as sacrilege.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defilement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defilement. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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