as in sacrilege
an act of great disrespect shown to God or to sacred ideas, people, or things
the First Book of the Maccabees tells of the profanation of the temple of Jerusalem by Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167 b.c.
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Recent Examples of profanation
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
His family has argued that the exhumation would amount to profanation of a burial site, and said the only alternative resting place for Franco should be inside the crypt of the Madrid cathedral, a suggestion that the government found unacceptable.
—Raphael Minder, New York Times, 4 June 2019
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
His family has argued that the exhumation would amount to profanation of a burial site, and said the only alternative resting place for Franco should be inside the crypt of the Madrid cathedral, a suggestion that the government found unacceptable.
—Raphael Minder, New York Times, 4 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profanation
Noun
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But sometimes movies need a little sacrilege to achieve their full potential.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
13 Sep. 2024
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However, that didn’t stop right-wing figures around the world, including Donald Trump, from claiming that the performance amounted to sacrilege, leading to widespread harassment against Jolly, as well as some of the performers involved.—
James Factora,
Them,
29 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Robbed of the event’s usual flair, the competitors instead put on a display of oafish masculinity, eating Combos on the ice and getting overly handsy with a female partner, among other desecrations of the sport.—
Dan Reilly,
Vulture,
30 July 2024
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Jared Krysiak pleaded guilty to a charge of desecration of human remains in connection with brutal slaying of Kerry Rollason, according to a statement released by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
18 Dec. 2024
Noun
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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
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The other side: To turkey's defenders, this is blasphemy — and the haters revealing their own poor culinary skills.—
Jeff Weiner,
Axios,
25 Nov. 2024
Noun
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TikTok is awaiting a final ruling from the Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments regarding the ban’s potential violation of the First Amendment on Jan. 10.—
Jibin Joseph,
PCMAG,
14 Jan. 2025
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Use regular audits, whistleblower protections and incident tracking systems to address violations.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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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
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Clouzot supplied that insight in strong visual terms: Fresnay’s conflicting impiety and righteous anger and so much dissatisfaction and panic among the townsfolk.—
Armond White,
National Review,
20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The committee identified graft and corruption, inefficiencies and waste.—
Bruce W. Dearstyne / Made by History,
TIME,
13 Jan. 2025
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The first is Sweeney Todd — an interesting choice, seeing as Stephen Sondheim’s cannibalistic tale explores themes of political corruption and the destructive forces of free markets.—
Seth Abramovitch,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Image For decades, Southwest thrived by adhering to a simple model of low fares and good service, with a healthy dose of irreverence.—
Niraj Chokshi,
New York Times,
24 Nov. 2024
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Not dissimilar to how Kathy Hilton entered the series, Tilly has brought some highly entertaining scene-stealing irreverence to the mix.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
17 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near profanation
Cite this Entry
“Profanation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profanation. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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