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

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 blasphemers

The bishops alone were acquainted with points of doctrine, and heretics and blasphemers were punished by civil law.
The History of the Inquisition of Spain from the Time of its Establishment to the Reign of Ferdinand VII.|Juan Antonio Llorente
Those guilty as against God, the blasphemers, lie prone like Capaneus (line 46), and are subject to the fiercest pain.
The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri|Dante Alighieri
Ra turned his eye upon the blasphemers, according to the counsel of Nun.
Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt|Lewis Spence
May we see the destruction of that family of blasphemers and infidels, secretly in league with the Saracens.
The Saracen: The Holy War|Robert Shea

As my ears caught the sound of the dreadful oaths of the blasphemers, I thought of the Day of Judgment.
Fred Markham in Russia|W. H. G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for blasphemers

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 blasphemers

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.