blasphemous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
The Game Kitchen, a team based in Seville, Spain, initially wrote the script for Blasphemous in Spanish.
From The Verge • Oct. 19, 2021
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.
