as in sacrilege
an act of great disrespect shown to God or to sacred ideas, people, or things in the 17th century the Quakers were persecuted for beliefs and practices that older churches regarded as blasphemies

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blasphemy While Christians born into the faith are free to practice, Iran’s Shariah laws state that abandoning Islam for another religion is considered blasphemy, punishable by death. Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025 Here, the government is forbidden from engaging in viewpoint discrimination, banned from imposing blasphemy restrictions, and prohibited from banning undesirable political parties. The Editors, National Review, 18 Feb. 2025 But there is evidence that French society is shifting on the acceptance of blasphemy, particularly among France’s 5-million-strong Muslim population and the younger generation. Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Jan. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for blasphemy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blasphemy
Noun
  • 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
  • For many liberals and radicals, beginning with Lord Byron, Elgin was a vandal who had committed sacrilege.
    Ralph Leonard, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • For some fans, the changes may feel like a desecration.
    Jesse Green, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Simply put, their acts are a desecration of the pursuit of knowledge.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 18 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • His attorneys and family have rejected the government’s claims, calling his detention unjust and a violation of due process.
    Hanna Park, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2025
  • That came after Twins pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson was given a pitch-clock violation that led to a walk for the Royals’ Jonathan India.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • By one hand, he is bound to himself, to his impiety, his recklessness, his envy and pride, his guilt and spite.
    Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
  • By one hand, he is bound to himself, to his impiety, his recklessness, his envy and pride, his guilt and spite.
    Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The Trump administration is substantially scaling back the State Department's annual reports on international human rights to remove longstanding critiques of abuses such as harsh prison conditions, government corruption and restrictions on participation in the political process, NPR has learned.
    Graham Smith, NPR, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Thao has since been indicted for bribery and corruption.
    Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move; ’Twere profanation of our joys To tell the laity our love.
    John Edgar Wideman, The New Yorker, 8 July 2021
  • The first assault is on the Nile itself, which is turned to blood, thereby ruining both agriculture and aquaculture in one swoop, a profanation with religious consequences.
    Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 28 Nov. 2019
Noun
  • Very carefully, unless your boss is Graydon Carter, whose gift for irreverence and self-deprecation is almost as legendary as his hair.
    Jim Kelly, Air Mail, 29 Mar. 2025
  • The film’s a strange but potent mix of irreverence and patriotism.
    Keith Phipps, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Blasphemy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blasphemy. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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