blaspheme

[ blas-feem, blas-feem ]

/ blæsˈfim, ˈblæs fim /

verb (used with object), blas·phemed, blas·phem·ing.

to speak impiously or irreverently of (God or sacred things).

to speak evil of; slander; abuse.

verb (used without object), blas·phemed, blas·phem·ing.

to speak irreverently of God or sacred things; utter impieties.

Nearby words

blarney stone, blart, blasco ibáñez, blasco ibáñez, vicente, blase, blaspheme, blasphemer, blasphemous, blasphemously, blasphemy, blast

Origin of blaspheme

1300–50; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Late Latin blasphēmāre < Greek blasphēmeîn to speak profanely, derivative of blásphēmos blasphemous

Related formsblas·phem·er

[blas-fee-mer, blas-fee-, -fuh-] /blæsˈfi mər, ˈblæs fi-, -fə-/, nounun·blas·phemed, adjective

Synonym study

1. See curse.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for blasphemer

He should at once shun the blasphemer, who is by his blasphemy for ever filled with sin.
The Sarva-Darsana-Samgraha|Madhava Acharya
A devout religious person is told that his friend is an atheist and a blasphemer, rejects belief and denies Providence.
The Works of Lucian of Samosata, v. 4|Lucian of Samosata
"He's a blasphemer, Mr. Gupperduck, I'm sorry to say," volunteered Mrs. Bindle.
Adventures of Bindle|Herbert George Jenkins
No, but my right; for you are the sacrilegist and the blasphemer who makes of the Son of man a hideous caricature.
The Quest|Frederik van Eeden

In a little time Numa is no longer a blasphemer, the name is given only to such as doubt the existence of the nymph.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 2 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)

British Dictionary definitions for blasphemer

blaspheme

/ (blæsˈfiːm) /

verb

(tr) to show contempt or disrespect for (God, a divine being, or sacred things), esp in speech

(intr) to utter profanities, curses, or impious expressions

Derived Formsblasphemer, noun

Word Origin for blaspheme

C14: from Late Latin blasphēmāre, from Greek blasphēmein from blasphēmos blasphemous

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for blasphemer

blaspheme

mid-14c., from Old French blasfemer "to blaspheme" (14c., Modern French blasphémer), from Church Latin blasphemare (also in Late Latin "revile, reproach"), from Greek blasphemein "to speak lightly or amiss of sacred things, to slander," from blasphemos "evil-speaking" (see blasphemy). A reintroduction after the original word had been worn down and sense-shifted to blame. Related: Blasphemed; blaspheming.