blasphemy

American  

[blas-fuh-mee] / ˈblæs fə mi /

noun

plural

blasphemies

1. impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.

   Synonyms:

   impiety, sacrilege, profanity

2. Judaism.

   1. an act of cursing or reviling God.

   2. pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) in the original, now forbidden manner instead of using a substitute pronunciation such as Adonai.

3. Theology. the crime of assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God.

4. irreverent behavior toward anything held sacred, priceless, etc..

   He uttered blasphemies against life itself.

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blasphemy British  

/ ˈblæsfɪmɪ /

noun

1. blasphemous behaviour or language

2. Also called: blasphemous libel.  law the crime committed if a person insults, offends, or vilifies the deity, Christ, or the Christian religion

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Other Word Forms

• nonblasphemy noun

Etymology

Origin of blasphemy

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English blasphemie, from Late Latin blasphēmia, from Greek, equivalent to blasphem(ous) + -y ³

Example Sentences

Nigeria's Supreme Court has in the past ruled that blasphemy allegations must be proven in a court of law.

From BBC

There cannot be, since blasphemy depends on the acknowledgment of the sacred.

From Salon

Judge McGarva said he did not view the case as an attempt to expand blasphemy laws.

From BBC

"To me, Belsen was the ultimate blasphemy," wrote one British soldier, Michael Bentine, who, after World War Two, went on to become a famous entertainer.

From BBC

In that climate, publicly denouncing a man for blasphemy was tantamount to designating a terrorist target, prosecutors will argue.

From BBC

Related Words

• desecration
• heresy