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

She also represented those accused of blasphemy -- an incendiary charge -- as well as Afghans who face crackdowns by the authorities.

From Barron's • Jan. 25, 2026

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

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2025

"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 • Apr. 26, 2025

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

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2024

When Jean Louise and her brother were children, Atticus had occasionally drawn them a sharp distinction between mere scatology and blasphemy.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee

Related Words

• desecration
• heresy