blasphemous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of blasphemous
First recorded in 1525–35; from Late Latin blasphēmus, from Greek blásphēmos “defaming, speaking evil,” equivalent to blá(p)s(is) “harm, evil” ( blab- “harm” + -sis -sis ( def. ); compare bláptein “to harm”) + -phēmos “speaking,” derivative of phḗmē “speech”; see -ous ( def. )
Explanation
Blasphemous is an adjective that describes profane words and actions, especially when they are connected to something religious. Blasphemous comes from a Greek word that means “evil-speaking,” but actions as well as words can be blasphemous. Spitting on a cross, drawing pictures in the Qur’an, tripping a rabbi — all of these are rude in general, but because they combine a sacred religious person or thing with rude behavior, they're also blasphemous. Beyond religion, any attack on something you cherish is blasphemous, like when your best friend says your celebrity crush is ugly. Such blasphemous words!
Vocabulary lists containing blasphemous
"The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe
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The Poet X
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Cemetery Boys
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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.
His vision of the future is built on the idea that people will like a product enough to pay more for it, which was long considered blasphemous in the airline business.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026
The protesters were angry over the display a book by the exiled feminist author Taslima Nasrin, who has in the past received death threats from Islamist groups for what they say are her blasphemous writings.
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2025
Sitting for the “Filmmaker Toolkit” podcast, Eggers joked to host Chris O’Falt, “It feels ugly and blasphemous and egomaniacal and disgusting for a filmmaker in my place to do ‘Nosferatu’ next.”
From Salon • Dec. 24, 2024
That gruesome boat sequence and that almost blasphemous erasure of the sky are impossible images to forget.
From New York Times • Mar. 23, 2024
He knew his ideas were practically blasphemous and so his book had to be as irrefutable as he could make it.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
