blasphemy
Americannoun
plural
blasphemies-
impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.
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Judaism.
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an act of cursing or reviling God.
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pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) in the original, now forbidden manner instead of using a substitute pronunciation such as Adonai.
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Theology. the crime of assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God.
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irreverent behavior toward anything held sacred, priceless, etc..
He uttered blasphemies against life itself.
noun
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blasphemous behaviour or language
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Also called: blasphemous libel. law the crime committed if a person insults, offends, or vilifies the deity, Christ, or the Christian religion
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of blasphemy
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English blasphemie, from Late Latin blasphēmia, from Greek, equivalent to blasphem(ous) + -y 3
Explanation
Saying offensive things about God or religion is blasphemy. Blasphemy can be used for offensive ideas in other areas too. If you're saying something bad about a god, or taking the Lord's name in vain, or questioning a religious institution in any way, you could be accused of blasphemy — insulting something sacred. You can use this word in a lot of other ways too. At a meeting of conservatives, a liberal idea could be considered blasphemy (and vice versa). You might even jokingly cry "Blasphemy!" if a friend said your favorite ice cream flavor stinks.
Vocabulary lists containing blasphemy
The Crucible
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I Am Malala
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The Glass Castle
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Blasphemy in Islam includes the mocking or disparaging of attributes of the religion as well as denying any of its fundamental beliefs.
From BBC • May 14, 2022
Blasphemy isn’t an offense in the U.S. given the nation’s strong constitutional protection for freedom of speech.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2018
Blasphemy laws protect religious dogma from ridicule, and therefore the feelings of believers, Mr. Mchangama argues, while hate speech laws protect religious groups from degrading expressions.
From New York Times • Feb. 23, 2017
Blasphemy laws protect religious dogma from ridicule, and therefore the feelings of believers, Mchangama argues, while hate-speech laws protect religious groups from degrading expressions.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 23, 2017
Thereupon Mr. Reynolds, the defendant, published a pamphlet on Blasphemy and in it gave a photograph of the Boonton christians.
From Trial of C. B. Reynolds For Blasphemy Defence by Robert G. Ingersoll, at Morristown, N. J., May 1887 by Ingersoll, Robert Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
