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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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
On October 31, Pakistan’s Supreme Court acquitted Asia Bibi, a Christian woman whom a lower court had sentenced to death for blasphemy.
—
Madiha Afzal, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2019
Bhatti was assassinated a few months later, in March 2011, for speaking against Pakistan’s radical blasphemy laws.
—Sean Nelson, National Review, 8 Sep. 2024
Free speech, for example, was originally reined in by bans on blasphemy, cussing, and even certain theater performances.
—Roy Rivenburg, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2024
So great is the fear of taking a stand against the blasphemy law in Pakistan that judges sometimes recuse themselves from hearing cases.
—Rana Ayyub, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blasphemy 
Madiha Afzal, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2019
Bhatti was assassinated a few months later, in March 2011, for speaking against Pakistan’s radical blasphemy laws.
—Sean Nelson, National Review, 8 Sep. 2024
Free speech, for example, was originally reined in by bans on blasphemy, cussing, and even certain theater performances.
—Roy Rivenburg, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2024
So great is the fear of taking a stand against the blasphemy law in Pakistan that judges sometimes recuse themselves from hearing cases.
—Rana Ayyub, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blasphemy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blasphemy
Noun
-
But sometimes movies need a little sacrilege to achieve their full potential.Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2024
-
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
-
Artifact theft and desecration are surprisingly common in national parks.Corey Buhay, Outside Online, 8 Nov. 2024
-
Another count, desecration of a human corpse, was dismissed.KC Baker, People.com, 17 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
That was a violation of a court order banning her from possessing firearms while her other criminal cases played out in court.Caroline Beck, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Nov. 2024
-
Hospital officials have said that's not true – and, in fact, would be a violation of a new Ohio law.Amber Hunt, The Enquirer, 21 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
But the books complement each other in isolating a specific strain of mid-century masculinity, one that’s a strange mix of entitlement and passivity, austerity and impiety, dutifulness and indifference.Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2024
-
The impieties are to be taken as possibilities, not as actual truths.Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023
Noun
-
Three members of the council were also accused of corruption.Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 11 Nov. 2024
-
Local media reports said hundreds of amateur videos had been found at the finance official’s home during a raid associated with a corruption investigation.Reuters, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024
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
-
Born at a time when conformity and repression were the cultural norms, Mad’s irreverence would affect TV shows and movies for decades and encourage young people to question the world around them.Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 13 Nov. 2024
-
The film’s a strange but potent mix of irreverence and patriotism.Keith Phipps, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near blasphemy
Cite this Entry
“Blasphemy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blasphemy. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share