defilement
Americannoun
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the act of making something foul, dirty, or unclean.
Humankind's destruction and defilement of the natural environment is seriously endangering the continuation of life on this planet.
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the violation of something considered sacred, or the act of making something ceremonially impure; desecration.
I want to express our profound disgust and contempt for the recent defilement of the mosque by graffiti.
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the act of violating a person’s chastity.
The Lagos state government has approved the use of a toll-free emergency line to report cases of rape, defilement, child abuse, and other sexual assaults.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of defilement
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.
It holds, appropriately, kid-size glass sculptures that evoke fairy-tale innocence and real-world defilement.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 11, 2021
Without fanfare or warning, P&D no longer looks like a bizarre defilement, breach or disruption of anything at all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2019
Hazzauna's shame was her deepest secret and yet she felt the defilement left her oddly transparent.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2012
Hazzauna’s shame was her deepest secret and yet she felt the defilement left her oddly transparent.
From New York Times ● Feb. 11, 2012
It was simple and, since both Helmholtz and the Savage were dreadfully pained by the shattering and defilement of a favourite poetic crystal, extremely effective.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
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.
