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.

RELATED WORDS

cuss, swear, revile

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 blasphemes

He then swears and blasphemes, paces tip and down, tosses his arms wildly about, and menaces any one near him.
The Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals|Charles Darwin
With staring eyes and contracted brows he saw the flames which await him who blasphemes.
A Mere Accident|George Moore
Now it is a well-known law in Moslem countries that he who blasphemes the Prophet Mohammed or his religion must die.
The Moors in Spain|Stanley Lane-Poole
When, in the name of God, he resists education and science, he blasphemes.
Flowers of Freethought|George W. Foote

So he preaches, but he blasphemes, saying, 'I came forth from God.'
Looking Back|Merrick Abner Richardson

British Dictionary definitions for blasphemes

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 blasphemes

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.